


The Origin of the Ears

by BobsBurgersStories



Category: Bob's Burgers (Cartoon)
Genre: Childhood, Childhood Trauma, Drama, Family Drama, Family Feels, Flashbacks, Gen, Origin Story, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reveal, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23219575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobsBurgersStories/pseuds/BobsBurgersStories
Summary: A new, no-hats rule at Wagstaff reveals how Louise got her bunny ears.
Comments: 45
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone, I'm back! I hope you're all doing well under quarantine and lock down. Looking on the bright side, I have plenty of time to write, so I hope you enjoy reading this.  
> This story will probably be 5 chapters long, and will alternate between the present, and the past, one chapter for each. The ones set in the past will be written in italics.

The Origin of the Ears

Chapter 1

Bob Belcher concentrated on cleaning the counters next to the grill, doing his best to ignore the empty restaurant. They hadn't had a customer for over an hour, now, and Bob needed to keep busy. He looked up, smiling slightly, as the bell rang, signifying that someone had entered the diner. However, it was accompanied by the sound of the door being slammed. He poked his head through the hatch and saw Louise stamping over to the counter, and slamming her backpack down on the floor, a thunderous expression on her face.

“Louise, what are you doing home?” Bob looked at the clock, confused, “it's only 12:30.”

“I know that, Dad; I can tell time!” she snapped, sitting on a stool.

“Louise.”

“What's the matter, sweetie?” Linda sat down next to her daughter.

“The _stupid_ principal has made a _stupid_ rule about no _stupid_ hats at _stupid_ school!” the little girl seethed, and Bob and Linda looked at each other. That wasn't good. “He came into assembly and said no more hats. And when I wouldn't take my ears off, he called me up in front of everyone, and said that I was suspended until I could follow the rules properly,” said Louise casually, being careful to leave out the part where she had screamed in his face, and stormed out.

“They just let you leave?” Linda looked shocked. “Why didn't they call me?” She pulled out her phone, checking it. “Oh, never mind,” she said, noticing that she had a few missed calls. She kept forgetting to take it off silent.

“So, looks like I'm not going back until you sort this out.”

“I thought we explained to them why she's allowed to wear the hat,” said Bob to Linda.

“You did!” Louise shrieked. “So, you're gonna do it again; because if I can't wear my ears, I'm not going back to school.”

Bob, knowing that trying to say anything to the contrary would end badly, kept quiet. “Go on, then! Go down to the school; what're you waiting for?” Louise tapped the counter impatiently.

“We'll go when your brother and sister are back; I'm not leaving you here alone,” said Linda. Bob agreed; leaving Louise alone when she was like this was practically begging for a disaster.

“Fine,” Louise scowled. “Stupid Principal Spoors: who does he think he is?”

“Did he say why he started this rule?” asked Bob, and Louise shook her head.

“Nope. Just came into assembly and said it, and made everyone take their hats' off.”

* * *

Louise spent the rest of the day in her room, by choice, not even coming out when Gene and Tina came home, and her parents headed down to the school. She opened her bedroom door just long enough to tell them not to bother her, before slamming it shut.

She sat on her bed, back resting against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest. Gently, she tugged on the tassels of her beloved ears. Removing it was unthinkable. Showing everyone what was under there... well, it didn't bear thinking about. Five years she'd had her ears, five years since the accident. Louise knew that her family thought she would have grown out of them by now, but there was no way, no way that she could bring herself to take it off.

Tentatively, she reached one hand under the hat, before retracting it. She knew what it felt like; there was no need to feel it again.

She didn't think even her brother and sister had seen her bareheaded more than two times since the accident. They knew what had happened, and what she desperately needed to hide.

Of course, Louise straightened up, she'd kick the ass of anyone who laughed at her, but she didn't think she could go about her life having everyone know what was under the ears.

* * *

Bob and Linda sat in Principal Spoors' office, along with Mr. Frond, and some of Louise's teachers that they should know the names of, but didn't. Once the introductions were out of the way, Bob got to it.

“So, apparently, there's a no-hats rule?” he confirmed, and the teachers nodded.

“Yes, we feel that it's an appropriate rule,” said Spoors.

“Okay, but can't you make an exception?” asked Linda. “Louise needs to wear her bunny ears; she's already said she's not coming back until she can wear them.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Belcher. Rules are rules.”

“Yeah, but, this isn't something she does for fun; she has a good reason for wearing that hat.”

“Like what?” asked Mr. Frond. No-one actually knew why Louise wore the ears; when she'd started Wagstaff three years ago, Bob and Linda had spoken to Spoors privately. He'd been okay with it then, so they weren't sure why he'd changed his mind.

“It's personal,” was all Bob said. “The hat gives her confidence; without it, she's.. really insecure.”

“So, it's a security blanket?” Frond confirmed.

“Sort of.”

“You said she would take the ears off when she was ready.”

“Well, if she hasn't taken them off, then she's clearly not ready,” Bob said, sounding irritated.

“But she came in without them before!” the counsellor exclaimed.

“They were stolen!” said Linda. “Someone stole them. You don't know what she was like without them; she was one step away from snapping.”

“Look, Mr. Belcher,” Spoor sighed, “I know your daughter had an accident,” which was the extent of what he had been told those years ago. “But, we've made several allowances for Louise over the past three years, and it's really not fair on the other pupils. Many of them now have started wearing large, crazy hats, and lessons are being disrupted. We're being accused of favouritism,” he added. The parents remained silent, so he continued. “I understand Louise has reasons for wanting to wear the hat; she feels she needs to wear it, I understand, but do you think you could swap it for a hat with no ears?”

“I guess.. I'll try, I mean, I'll talk to her about it,” said Bob, knowing exactly how that conversation was going to go; he wasn't even going to have the talk; he didn't want to deal with the aftermath.

“You didn't look too impressed with that,” said Louise's P.E. teacher. “What's the deal with that particular hat?” Bob sighed. He hoped he wouldn't be the one to have to tell the story (although he knew Louise never would), but if they knew why, they might leave her alone. He sighed again.

“She was four years old,” he began.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys, I'm back with chapter two. This is a little bit longer, and, as I mentioned, will be all in italics. If the italics bothers anyone, let me know, and I'll change it. Hope you enjoy reading!

The Origin of the Ears

Chapter 2:

_April 26 th, 2014_

_Bob yawned as he rose from the shabby sofa in the living-room, and stretched. He glanced at the clock: 11:20pm. No wonder he was tired. Gene had finally gone to sleep; he kept coming out of his room, full of beans, to tell them about how he was going to big school soon._

_Tina, of course, had obediently gone to sleep as soon as she was in bed, her little arms wound tightly around her Chariot doll._

_He and Linda walked quietly down the hallway, and she carefully opened the door to Gene's bedroom. He was still asleep, thankfully, underwear-clad butt in the air, blanket on the floor. Linda placed it back over him, and gently kissed him on the forehead, and he smiled in his sleep._

_They looked in on Louise, who had recently moved into the hallway closet, saying that she needed her own room. She was sleeping, her giant stuffed rabbit in her arms, her moon-shaped night light glowing on her bedside table. Her face screwed up slightly as Linda carefully removed her pink beanie, and switched the night light off._

_Tina was lying on her back, Chariot in a death grip; she let out a little groan when Linda kissed her forehead, and shut the door. The parents then made their way to their own room._

“ _What a night,” muttered Bob, pulling off his T-shirt. “I thought Gene would never settle down.”_

“ _He's excited, Bobby. He's a big boy now.”_

“ _I know, Lin, but if he doesn't sleep, he's gonna be a cranky big boy.”_

“ _Well, he's asleep now. Night, Bobby,” Linda climbed into bed and removed her glasses._

“ _Night, Lin,” Bob yawned, switching his lamp off, and falling asleep._

_Bob was awakened several hours later by Linda shaking his shoulder._

“ _Bob! Bobby!” He grunted and opened his eyes to see her frantic face, her voice drowned out by a tell-tale beeping. He sat up, instantly wide awake._

“ _Oh, my God!”_

“ _Bobby, we've gotta get the kids!” Stumbling out of bed, Bob flung open the bedroom door; where they were greeted by a huge cloud of black smoke. Through the acrid smoke, they could see bright orange flames licking the walls of the hallway. The smoke was so thick they could hardly see. The fire alarm was beeping madly. At the other end of the hall, they could hear Gene screaming._

_Bob grabbed his shirt, and placed it over his mouth and nose. Taking Linda's hand, they both began to feel their way down the hall, their eyes watering from the dancing flames opposite them. Linda had her nightdress pulled up over her mouth and nose, as well._

_Bob made Linda hug the wall, trying to shield her, as they held each other, coughing._

_Bob breathed deeply into his shirt as he held Linda's arm tightly. He could feel her nails digging into his other arm, the sharp pain a reminder that this was not a dream, this was really happening. Their home was on fire, and they had to try and get their three children out. That knowledge kept him going; he had a family, and he needed to save them. He heard Linda coughing next to him, and he steered her down the hall, trying to stop her from inhaling the smoke as much as he could._

_The billowing, black smoke disoriented them, but the sound of their screaming son was growing closer, and they used that to guide them._

_After what seemed like an eternity, they reached Gene's bedroom, and Linda flung open the door._

_Gene was curled up in the corner, looking terrified_

“ _Mommy!” he cried, and Linda ran over to him, and picked him up. Running back to Bob, she buried Gene's face into her clothes, as they slowly made their way back down the hallway. Linda stroked Gene's hair soothingly, silently begging him to keep still and not squirm. Gene was clutching her in an iron grip._

_She was so focused on walking in a straight line, not falling, and seeing through her watery eyes, that she didn't see Bob stop. Holding Gene tighter, she looked to the side, and saw him open a door._

_Against her better judgement, she turned and looked behind her. The smoke was even thicker; the flames were now touching the ceiling, crackling loudly._

“ _Lin!” Bob's gasp, brought her back to reality. “I can't find Louise!” Her head snapped round to look at him. “Listen to me,” he touched her face, his eyes narrowed and watering. “I need you to take Gene, go get Tina, and get out. I need to get Louise!”_

“ _Bobby, no!” She coughed and choked loudly, doubling over, still holding Gene. “I won't leave you!”_

“ _We'll be fine!” Bob pushed his wife towards Tina's room, and before she could do anything, he entered Louise's room._

_For a moment, Linda froze, unable to believe what was happening. She knew he was right; the longer they remained there, the greater the danger. She was holding one of her children, and one of the others was in her room. She could put them outside, and then come back and help Bob._

_So, doing the hardest thing she'd ever had to do in her life, she went towards Tina's room._

_She found Tina standing in the corner, stock still, eyes wide, hyperventilating. Reaching out her arm, Linda moved forward, finding it a little bit easier to breathe._

_Tina darted towards her mother, wrapping her arms around her waist. That, combined with Gene hanging from her neck, made it extremely difficult for Linda to move, but she managed it. She would, for her babies._

_Bob had searched Louise's little room, and he couldn't find her anywhere, so that meant she was somewhere else in the apartment._

_Taking a deep breath, Bob left the room, blindly looking left and right. “Louise!” he choked, feeling in front of him._

_To his immense relief, he found her in the hall, next to the stairs. He didn't know how he had missed her before. She was staring up at the crackling wall of flames, eyes wide, too afraid to move. “Louise!” he called again, and she turned to face him, coughing._

_Bob reached out to grab her, just as a spitting flame ball shot out and landed on the back of her head, sparks trailing down after it._

_Louise screamed, tears streaming down her face, her hands waving frantically. Grabbing her, Bob threw his shirt over her head, trying to smother the flames. Louise fell to the ground, and he dropped to his knees, holding his breath, furiously patting her head._

_He didn't know how long it took, but the flames died out, and he scooped her up, and stumbled down the hall, eyes streaming, managing to find his way over to the fire escape._

_Sticking his head out of the window, the clean, fresh air hit him like a slap in the face. Blinking the tears away, he saw Linda, Gene and Tina standing huddled in the alley, looking terrified. Bob shook his head slightly, realising there were firemen running up to their home._

_Louise was still screaming, and Bob held her tight in one arm as he climbed down the fire escape, and Linda came running up to them._

“ _Oh, my God! Louise, my baby!” She tried to take her, but Louise had her hands clenched tightly on Bob's shoulder._

_Bob gripped Linda's hand, gulping in the air, her hand the only thing seeming real at that moment. He felt a little dizzy, and he became aware of someone other than his wife trying to take Louise from his arms, and he subconsciously held her tighter._

“ _Sir, you all need to get to the hospital right away,” came a voice to his right._

“ _Hospital?” he repeated, confused._

_He didn't remember the ambulance ride, nor being treated for smoke inhalation. The only things he knew were that, Linda was sat next to him; and as soon as they had arrived, his children had been taken somewhere. A doctor had been talking to them about Louise, and they heard words like “surgery”, “second and third degree burns”, and “potential scarring”, but everything was fuzzy._

_He managed to keep his wits about him long enough to hear that Gene and Tina were okay, but they were still treating Louise, before exhaustion took over and he fell asleep._

_He was awoken a mere few hours later, when they were told that they could see Louise, and they made their way to the paediatric ward._

_There she was, curled up on her side, asleep. Her head was bandaged._

* * *

_Bob wasn't sure what time it was. All he knew was that it was daylight, and he'd somehow managed to fall asleep on the uncomfortable, plastic chairs in the waiting room._

_Sitting up, he stretched and looked around. Linda wasn't there, nor were Gene and Tina. He was just about to search for them, when they entered the hospital, Gene clinging tightly to his mother's hand._

“ _Morning, Bobby,” said Linda quietly._

“ _Morning. When did you leave?”_

“ _About an hour ago; Teddy watched the kids, while I went to see.. what it looks like.”_

“ _What does it look like?” Bob asked, ignoring Teddy, who had burst through the double doors, and ran up to them, panting._

“ _It's...” Linda hesitated. “It looks worse than it is. We're gonna have to shut down for a couple of weeks, and the firemen said something about rebuilding the stairs, so we're gonna have to find somewhere to stay.”_

“ _I already said you guys can stay with me,” said Teddy._

“ _Thanks, Teddy. How did you get in, if the stairs are bust?”_

“ _I climbed up the fire escape,” Linda told him. “The stairs aren't bust; they just won't take too much weight. The kitchen, Tina's room, and Louise's room are okay; just some smoke damage. Our room's.. okay, but they'll need to re-plaster the wall; I think that's what they said.” Linda ran a hand through her hair. “But the living-room and hallway are a wreck; I couldn't even get to Gene's room. But I managed to get us some stuff.” She held up a black sack. “I got clothes, and shoes; I got our photo albums, and Tina's horsey doll, and Gene's keyboard..”_

“ _How did you get Gene's keyboard?” Bob asked._

“ _He left it in the bathroom. Oh, and I got General Woundwort,” she opened the bag, and pointed to Louise's giant plush rabbit. Bob smiled a little when he saw the toy. Louise had seen it in a charity shop, and would not leave until they bought it for her. It was rather cheap as it was missing an eye, and so Louise had named it General Woundwort, from her favourite film, “Watership Down.”_

“ _Mommy, can we see Louise?” asked Tina, blinking up at Linda._

“ _We'll ask the doctor when he comes out,” she assured her daughter._

“ _Oh, yeah. How is she?” asked Teddy._

“ _I don't know,” said Bob honestly. “I know she slept all night; the nurses told me they gave her pain relief. I don't know if she's woken up yet.”_

“ _Did they say how the fire started?” asked Linda, picking Gene up, and caressing Tina's head with her free hand._

“ _Uh, they said it was the stove; apparently, it hadn't cooled down properly, and the flames went up into the vents. But I don't understand that; I cleaned it the same way I always do.”_

“ _It's all right, Bobby; it was just an accident.” Linda didn't blame him; how could she? It wasn't like it was anyone's fault. Okay, it was scary, but they were alive._

_Not long after, they were approached by a doctor._

“ _Mr and Mrs. Belcher, hi. I'm Owen Quinn; I'm one of the doctors supervising your daughter.”_

“ _How is she; can we see her?”_

“ _She's still asleep, but yes, you can see her. Come with me.” The doctor led them through the waiting room, and down a few halls before they reached the paediatric ward._

_They gathered around Louise's bed. Although her head was still bandaged, she looked comfortable. She was lying on a doughnut-shaped pillow, to avoid pressure on the wounds._

“ _Her – her ears,” Linda covered her hand with her mouth. Louise's ears seemed to have caught some of the flames, and the tops were puffy and shiny._

“ _Louise has third-degree burns on the back of her head, and second-degree burns on her ears,” the doctor explained quietly. “At this moment, we're not sure if the hair follicles are affected; we'll need to wait a few days. If the follicles are damaged, then the hair won't grow back.”_

“ _Has she – lost any hair?” asked Bob._

“ _There is a sizeable patch missing from the back of her head.”_

“ _It'll be like that forever?”_

“ _We hope not, but if the hair doesn't grow back, then there are things we can do to help.” Linda was about to ask what they would do, when movement from the bed distracted her._

“ _Louise, baby!” She bent down, taking her drowsy daughter's hand. “Are you okay?”_

“ _Mommy?” Louise rubbed her eyes with her free hand. “Where am I?”_

“ _You're in the hospital, sweetie, but you're okay. It's gonna be okay.”_

“ _'Hopsital?'” Louise looked around, her hand reaching up to her head. “What's this?”_

“ _It's gonna make you better.” Linda produced Louise's favourite toy rabbit, and the little girl took it. While her siblings talked to her, Bob moved away to talk to the doctor._

“ _Is she gonna be okay?” he asked._

“ _We expect her to make a full recovery.” Bob nodded as Linda came up next to him. “We'll need to keep her under observation for a few days, to make sure there is no infection. Regarding her ears; it's possible she will need reconstructive surgery, as she does have some burns to the helix, which might cause some problems later.”_

“ _Right. Okay.” They went back over to Louise. “Hey, honey,” Bob smiled at her, sitting down._

“ _Daddy, I don't being in this hospital; it smells funny.” Bob chuckled._

“ _You can come home soon, okay? Louise – do you remember what happened?”_

“ _There was a fire,” she said matter-of-factly._

“ _Yeah, that's right. And.. you got burned, do you remember that?”_

“ _Yeah,” a frown crossed her face, and she reached up to feel the bandages._

“ _Well,” Bob paused. “The fire burned a little bit of your hair off, and your ears are a little bit burned, as well.” Her eyes wide, Louise reached up again, frantically feeling the back of her head. She winced as she touched the tops of her ears._

“ _Will it grow back?”_

“ _I don't know,” he said honestly._

“ _I don't wanna be bald!” she cried. “I'm not old! Fix it!”_

“ _We will,” Bob assured her. “We'll find a way.”_

“ _Fix it! Fix it, now!”_

“ _We're gonna fix it, baby,” said Linda. “The doctors are gonna make you all better.” But Louise did not look assured._

“ _I want it done now!”_

“ _We've spoken to the doctor,” Linda went to stroke her daughter's forehead, but Louise batted her hand away. “They said they need to wait a few days.”_

“ _What for?”_

“ _Just to make sure everything heals up.” Louise didn't look too impressed with this, and clamped her arms around her toy rabbit, pouting._

* * *

_A few days later, Doctor Quinn gave Bob and Linda the news they were dreading._

“ _So, first of all, the good news is Louise can go home tonight. But I'm afraid the hair follicles have been permanently damaged, and there's no chance of the hair growing back,” he told them._

“ _Okay. So, what can we do?” Bob glanced over at his daughter, head still bandaged, chattering to her siblings._

“ _Well, ordinarily we would offer wigs or hairpieces, but she's quite young, so it may not be the best option. Synthetic wigs tend to wear out quite quickly, and it might cause irritation on her skin. However, we could insert some tissue expanders under her skin; it's quite common in these types of injuries.”_

“ _What would that do?”_

“ _It's a little balloon made of silicon, and we'd insert it under her scalp and every week we'd inject it with saline to make it swell. It stretches the skin, and basically creates excess skin. At the end of the treatment, we would remove the balloon, and stitch the flap shut, and it would completely cover the patch.”_

“ _Ooh, I don't know.” It sounded very complicated and painful to Linda._

“ _Well, if it'll cover the scars and everything. Otherwise, what can we do?” reasoned Bob._

“ _It's your decision; feel free to talk about it first. I know it can be hard,” the doctor walked away, and Bob and Linda turned to each other._

“ _Should we do it?” he asked, genuinely unsure._

“ _Oh, I don't know; she's so young... I don't know if I wanna put her through that.”_

“ _What's the alternative? Her going through life with a bald patch?”_

“ _You're right. Maybe we could try a wig?”_

“ _Will she wear one, though?” That was the problem; Louise was extremely stubborn, especially about what she wore. She insisted on choosing her own clothes every day._

“ _She likes hats; can't she just wear a hat?”_

“ _But she'll still have the – the bald spot. I think Louise would probably want to cover it properly.”_

“ _Let's ask her.” Bob nodded once again, and the two of them approached their daughter. “Hey, Louise.” Louise stopped making General Woundwort attack Tina and looked up. “We've been talking to the doctor, and he has an idea for you.”_

“ _What is it?”_

“ _Well, he thinks the best thing would be a surgery, and it would cover the bare patch on your head.”_

“ _I want that,” said Louise immediately. “And I wanna come home; when can I go home?”_

“ _You can go home tonight,” Bob told her, and she nodded, clapping her hands. “But about this surgery; are you sure about it? You don't have to if you don't want to.”_

“ _I want it! I don't wanna wear this forever!” Louise gestured to the bandages, frowning. “I don't like them. I want hair.” Bob and Linda looked at one another._

“ _Okay, if that's what you want, sweetie,” said Linda, and Louise nodded again. Dr. Quinn came over to them._

“ _So, if it's all okay with you, we can book her in for next week. Again, because of her age, we could do the reconstructive surgery on her ears at the same time?”_

“ _Well, if that would make it easier...” Bob trailed off._

“ _Okay,” Linda repeated, before turning back to Louise. “How does next week sound, baby?”_

“ _Today. I want it today,” Louise clutched General Woundwort. “I don't like being bald.”_

“ _We can't do it any sooner than next week,” said Dr. Quinn. “As soon as we're ready, we'll bring you back for it.”_

“ _Good!”_

* * *

_A few days later, Louise was happily settled at home. Well, Teddy's house, where they had been staying. Not that Bob wasn't grateful, but he hoped their apartment would be ready very soon._

_Louise still refused to go back to kindergarten, not until after the surgery. As Bob and Linda knew that any attempt at coercion would end badly, they had simply called the school, saying the truth: “Louise is going to have surgery, and she'll be off while she recovers.” The teachers had been fine, and, to Bob and Linda's relief, both Louise's teacher, and the principal, had not questioned the six week recovery time._

_Linda was still unsure about Louise having the operation; she was so little, and what if it went wrong? But it was what Louise wanted, and if it worked, then that could only be a good thing. She knew it was affecting the four-year-old, for Louise stayed in the little room set aside for the kids, only coming out for mealtimes, always with something covering her head. Nobody minded, of course, and they gave her the space she needed._

_Linda walked down the hall to the bedroom, pushing the ajar door open. She saw Louise standing in front of the little mirror on the dresser, brushing her hair._

_More careful than she usually would be, Louise brushed and brushed, before picking up a small hand mirror, holding it to the back of her head._

_Peeping in through the crack in the door, Linda saw Louise's face fall when the bald spot, which covered most of the back of her head, showed through the hair. She watched, feeling terrible, as Louise began to cry quietly, the little girl covering her face with her hands. It took everything Linda had not to run in and sweep her baby up in her arms, and comfort her. Louise had been a little bit.. sensitive lately. Very snappy, and quite rude, but Bob and Linda couldn't bring themselves to say anything to her._

“ _What are you doing?” Louise whirled around as she caught sight of Linda in the mirror. She hurriedly wiped her face, and set her jaw._

“ _I was just -”_

“ _Get out! Get out!” Louise brandished the hairbrush wildly._

“ _I'm sorry, sweetie,” Linda backed away, and went back into the living-room._

_Gene and Tina were at school, and Bob and Teddy were at the restaurant, trying to see what could be salvaged, and what needed to be scrapped. Linda, naturally, was eager to help, but she couldn't leave Louise by herself._

_She hated to see her baby like this. Louise, usually so loud and full of energy, now did nothing but hide away, keep her head down. Linda hadn't seen her smile since the fire, and she'd stopped playing with her siblings. Linda hoped with all her heart that this surgery would work, and it would make Louise happy again. She still felt unsure about it, but if it helped Louise, then that could only be a good thing._

_After a while, Louise slowly emerged from the bedroom, her pink beanie pulled down low over her head, a slightly pained expression on her face. Her cheeks were still slightly red. “What's wrong?” Linda dropped to her knees._

“ _It's itchy,” Louise complained, wincing as she rubbed the back of her head._

“ _Well, if it's itchy, it might be better for you to take the hat off,” said Linda gently, but Louise shook her head_

“ _No!”_

“ _You can't scratch it; it'll irritate your skin.”_

“ _But it's itchy!” she whined. “And my hair feels weird against it; I don't like it.”_

“ _Well, I can fix that,” Linda beckoned Louise to the sofa. When the little girl had sat down, Linda pulled some hair ties out of her bag, and she removed the hat, and quickly tied Louise's hair into pigtails. The bald spot was exposed, but at least, hopefully, it wouldn't irritate her. “Is that better?” she asked._

_Louise wobbled her head slightly, before nodding. “Much better!” she hopped down from the sofa, and disappeared back into the bedroom._

* * *

_A week later, Bob and Linda drove a squirming Louise back to the hospital. Gene and Tina were at school, and so both parents wanted to be there with their youngest._

“ _How long will it take?” Louise piped up from the back seat._

“ _I think about a few hours,” Linda told her._

“ _Good; I can't wait for it to be over. I'm hungry; when can I eat?”_

“ _We'll get you something after the surgery,” Bob said, keeping his eyes on the road._

_Once inside the hospital, Bob and Linda sat with Dr. Quinn, while Louise played nearby._

“ _So, we'll be ready to take Louise into the operating room soon. The surgery will take one to two hours, and we'll keep her in overnight, for observation. Afterwards, we'll wait for two weeks, to give the wound time to heal, and then we'll bring her back once every two weeks for the saline injections.” He explained._

“ _How many injections will she need?” asked Bob._

“ _It takes around six, so it will be twelve weeks. With each injection, the balloon will grow a little bit.”_

“ _Okay. Will it hurt?” Linda looked over at Louise, who was happily playing with the toys on the floor, making General Woundwort attack the building block city she'd built._

“ _There will more than likely be some discomfort, some tightness, but it will only last a few days, and it can be managed with over-the-counter children's medicine.”_

_Soon enough, the time for surgery arrived, and Bob and Linda accompanied Louise to the operating room._

“ _Wait, I want the General!” Louise insisted, sitting up on the gurney. “I want my toy!”_

“ _We can't have it in here,” Dr. Quinn tried to explain._

“ _Bring it here!”_

“ _Louise,” said a nurse, “your rabbit got a little bit burned, as well, so the vet is going to fix him up.”_

“ _Where is he?”_

“ _He's with the vet in the next room; his surgery's already started.”_

“ _Oh. Will it take long?”_

“ _Not too long, honey, and he'll be with you when you wake up.”_

“ _You promise?” Louise turned to her parents, who nodded._

“ _I promise,” Bob told her._

“ _Right, now Louise, just lie back,” said Dr. Quinn, and Louise did so, eyes wide, but more curious than anything else. “Good. Right, you're gonna feel something sticky on your chest, but it's fine, okay?”_

_Bob and Linda stood close by, watching. Bob was holding his wife's hand, knowing that if he didn't, she would be standing right next to their child. Louise looked over at them, and they smiled at her reassuringly. “Louise, how high can you count?” Quinn asked, drawing her attention back to him._

“ _Up to twenty!” she revealed. Okay, not exactly; she missed a few here and there, but she was very close, so it counted._

“ _Twenty? That's fantastic!” he gasped. “It would be a big help if you could do that for us? Can you count to twenty?”_

“ _Okay. One, two, three, four – what's that?” she eyed the oxygen mask being held up to her face._

“ _It will help us do the surgery. Can you count for us, please?”_

“ _Oh.” If it was for the magic surgery, then Louise would endure it, and she started counting again. “One, two, three...” this time, she did not protest as the mask was placed over her face._

_Bob and Linda had to leave then, and returned to the waiting room. They sat silently, holding hands tightly._

“ _She'll be fine.” said Bob. “Three months, and then it's over.”_

“ _I'm still so worried, Bobby; none of our kids have ever needed surgery before.”_

“ _It's amazing, really; considering our other kids are.. Gene and Tina,” Bob pointed out. “We're lucky that this is the first surgery, and it was because of an accident.”_

“ _Huh, I guess that's true. I am surprised this is the first time, as well. But, still...”_

“ _Nothing's going to go wrong, Lin,” he assured her, but she got up and started pacing._

“ _She's only four! She's just a baby! Bobby, what if something goes wrong? What if -”_

“ _Linda, it's okay,” Bob rose, and took her hand. “Look, why don't you go out? Go out and get some fresh air, maybe take a walk?”_

“ _I don't want to, Bobby!”_

“ _Okay, I'll tell you what. Louise has to stay here tonight, right? Why don't you get her something? Like maybe a new toy, or a book? Something to keep her distracted?” Linda stopped pacing, and looked thoughtful._

“ _You know, that's not a bad idea. All right, I'll go out and get her a little gift.” Linda grabbed her bag, and gave Bob a kiss on the cheek. “I'll be back soon!” she called._

_As soon as she had left, Bob sighed. He was just as worried as she was; their baby was having surgery. It was frightening, of course it was. But he was sure that she would be fine; Louise was a tough cookie, she would get through this._

_Linda returned little over an hour later, clutching a large bag._

“ _Is she done yet?” She panted, sitting down beside him._

“ _Not yet; the doctor came a while ago, and said it wouldn't be long. What did you get?”_

“ _Well, I was looking at the toys, and I was gonna get her one, but then I thought about what you said, about keeping her distracted, so I got her some books.”_

“ _Oh, r-really?” said Bob, as Linda reached into the bag. “What kind?” he hedged. Louise wasn't too fond of books; she used to enjoy the touch-and-feel books, and the interactive ones with sound effects. She just disliked being read to._

“ _I went down to_ “Bookin' Good,” _and I found a little section full of Japanese childrens' books.”_

“ _Oh, really?” Bob repeated, a little more interested now. Perhaps this would encourage Louise to read more._

“ _Yeah, and I saw this,” Linda held up a book entitled 'Kuchi Kopi's Long Journey Home.' On the cover was a funny-looking little green creature, standing in the middle of a forest. “Cute, isn't he?”_

“ _Uh, yeah. The book looks quite thick, doesn't it?”_

“ _Yeah, I thought it'll give her something to do.”_

“ _What even is that little guy?”_

“ _I don't know; some kinda Weeble or something. Do you think she'll like it?”_

“ _She might,” said Bob truthfully. “We can try.”_

_Shortly after Linda returned, the doctor approached them._

“ _I'm pleased to say the surgery went well,” said Quinn. “She's back on the ward, and you can see her now.”_

“ _She's all right?” asked Linda, as they followed him to the paediatric ward._

“ _She's sleeping fine; we won't know for sure until she wakes up.”_

_This time, a large patch of dressing was placed over the majority of Louise's head, and she was again resting on the doughnut-shaped pillow. She looked comfortable enough, which greatly relieved the parents. General Woundwort was tucked in the crook of her arm, and the toy's head was bandaged, too. There were a few stitches on the tops of her ears._

“ _Her vitals are fine, and she can go home tomorrow,” came Quinn's voice from behind them. “We removed the excess skin from her ears; the parts that looked like giant blisters. She'll be left with a few scars behind her ears, and they will look a bit smaller, but it likely won't be noticeable.”_

“ _Okay.”_

“ _And, as I mentioned earlier, we'll give her a couple of weeks, before we bring her back. It's a standard procedure.”_

“ _Are there any risks?” asked Linda, looking up at the doctor._

“ _T_ _here are complications associated with this procedure, as there are with any kind of surgery,” he began. “In this case, minor complications include haematomas, seromas, both of which can easily be treated.”_

“ _What are those?” asked Bob._

“ _A haematoma is where bleeding outside of blood vessels occur, and a seroma is when fluid builds up under the skin. There is the risk of infection, which would mean we'd have to remove the expander, wait for the infection to heal, and then re-do the surgery. There's also the risk of the silicone expander leaking. If that happened, we'd have to replace it._ _She may find the appearance of the balloon upsetting, as well.”_

“ _Okay,” Bob nodded. “I'm sure we can help her with that.” He looked down at his sleeping child._

* * *

“ _Am I still bald?” were the first words out of Louise's mouth when she awoke a few hours later._

“ _Uhh... yes. Just for a little while, sweetie,” said Linda, bending down next to her._

“ _But – you said the surgery would fix me,” her face screwed up in confusion._

“ _It will fix you,” Linda assured her. “They need to wait a few weeks; that's how long it'll take for it to work.”_

“ _I don't wanna wait,” Louise pouted._

“ _Well, I think you're gonna have to,” said Linda gently. “Just think, it'll all be over soon. Just think about that. No matter what, soon enough, you'll have all your hair back, but you have to be patient. Can you be patient for us, baby?”_

“ _I guess so,” Louise struggled to sit up, looking around her. “Oh, the General's back!” she picked up her toy. “His surgery was quick,” she observed, patting its bandaged head._

“ _He's going to be fine; just like you,” said Linda._

“ _When can I go home?” asked Louise._

“ _The doctor said tomorrow,” said Bob, but Louise didn't look very happy._

“ _I wanna go today! Why?”_

“ _They just need make sure you're okay, and that you're rested.”_

“ _What am I supposed to do?”_

“ _Well, you could -” but Bob was interrupted._

“ _What's in that bag?” Louise spied the carrier bag in Linda's hand. “Is it something for me?”_

“ _Yes; I went out to get you something for being so brave, and I found a book I think you'll like.”_

“ _A book?” Louise's nose crinkled in disgust. “No toy?”_

“ _I think you'll like this one,” Linda reached into the bag. “It's from Japan.” She saw Louise brighten slightly._

“ _Japan?” Then her face fell. “You won't be able to read it. They don't use letters; just funny, squiggly lines.”_

“ _No, no; it's in English,” Linda produced the book, and Louise glanced at it._

“ _What is that thing?” she pointed at Kuchi Kopi._

“ _I don't know; let's find out, shall we?” Louise nodded, and Linda sat down, and opened the book._

* * *

_A few days later, Bob and Teddy were at the restaurant, in the dining room._

“ _It doesn't look.. too bad,” said Bob, looking around._

“ _No, not at all,” Teddy agreed. The dining room was perhaps the least damaged, the walls only slightly blackened from the smoke. Nothing needed to be replaced, so they could be grateful for that. It was the kitchen that was the problem._

_The machines were badly damaged; the grill was burnt beyond repair. Bob let out a little whimper as he mourned his beautiful grill, that had seen him through almost thirty years of service, gone in an instant._

“ _Well, all we'll need here is a fresh coat of paint,” he gestured around the seating area. “And the cash register and coffee machine are all fine.”_

“ _I can find you another grill, and I know someone who's selling a dishwasher,” said Teddy._

“ _Okay, great. Well, I guess the most important thing is making sure the kids can go back in their rooms. So, we definitely need to re-floorboard the upstairs hallway.”_

“ _I can do that for you.”_

“ _Thanks,” Bob nodded. “Well, the repairmen are going to fix the stairs, and the living-room. So, once that's done, and they've finished with our bedroom, we can move right back in. It should only be a couple of weeks, maybe a month.”_

“ _What about the restaurant?”_

“ _Well, we'll have to.. stay closed for a few more weeks, just until they're all finished, and then we can try and get some business back.”_

“ _But what are you gonna do until then? If you don't have the money, you can keep on staying with me.”_

“ _Thanks, Teddy. Lin's doing those online jobs,” said Bob, and Teddy looked a little confused._

“ _Oh, yeah. What's she doing again?”_

“ _She's doing a bunch of stuff, and so am I, just as a way to make some money. She's, like, people send her stuff, and she types it up, and sends it back to them. She's also doing, like, some kinda online customer service thing. I'm doing one of those, transcribing things, as well. It's not.. too bad. I mean, it's boring as hell, but it pays,” Bob shrugged._

“ _Yeah, that makes sense. Right well, anything I can find for the restaurant, I'll get hold of it and bring it here, and I'll help with the repairs as much as I can. Friend discount, you know?”_

“ _Thanks, Teddy.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done. What did you think? I do enjoy putting Louise in the hospital, don't I?  
> I've always been partial to the restaurant fire theory, and that Louise got burned. Maybe it's the drama queen inside me.  
> What about you? Why do you think Louise wears her ears?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys, I'm back with another chapter here. I hope you enjoy reading.

The Origin of the Ears

Chapter 3

Louise was still suspended, which was driving Bob and Linda crazy, if they were honest. Both parents were really struggling to understand why Louise was not allowed back, even after Bob had explained why she needed to wear a hat, her bunny ears in particular.

Every morning, Linda would phone the school.

“Hi, can Louise come back today?”

“ _Is she willing to take the hat off?”_ came the usual reply.

“No.”

“ _Then she's still suspended.”_

“Okay then.”

“ _Goodbye, Mrs. Belcher.”_

“This is ridiculous!” Linda fumed to Bob one morning, as their kids came into the restaurant. “It's been a week!”

“They'll give in,” said Louise confidently, climbing up onto a stool. “I didn't break any rules.”

“Well, if they've made a new rule, then what can we do?” Bob shrugged.

“She does have a reason, though, Bobby.”

“My reason is I need my ears!” Louise snapped. “I'm not going back to school without them.”

“All right, we'll think of something,” sighed Bob. “Gene, Tina, you don't wanna be late.”

“Bye, Dad,” said Tina.

“Don't forget to have my roast beef buffet ready for when I get home!” cried Gene, as they walked out of the door.

“Louise, if you're staying home, then you're going to work,” said Bob.

“What?! Are you some kind of sadist?”

“We're not leaving you upstairs alone all day, and you can't just sit here, and do nothing.”

“Yes, I can. Watch; I'm doing it now,” Louise froze. “See, it's easy.”

“Louise, if you're not going to school, then you should work.”

“No! It's not my choice to not go to school!” she put on a simpering face. “Gosh, I'd love to go back so much, but I can't,” she pouted. “I'll need some alone time to recover from this tragic event.”

“This is non-negotiable,” he said calmly.

“Your father's right, Louise,” said Linda, as she wiped the counter top. “School, or work; your choice.”

“I only get one option!” she complained.

“Exactly, sweetie.”

“Ugh, fine!” Louise growled, grabbing the condiment bottles, slamming them down on the counter. She angrily kicked the counter, and accidentally-on-purpose knocked over the napkin dispenser, not bothering to pick it up. Louise huffed and puffed as she worked, and Linda gave Bob a significant look.

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed, when she came into the kitchen. “I know what day it is.”

“Who's going to take her?”

“I will.” Bob didn't look thrilled about this.

“Okay. What time will you be back?”

“It depends on how it goes; might have to take her to get some ice cream or something.”

“All right; just be sure to call and let me know.”

“I will, Lin.”

Linda smiled at her husband, before heading back into the restaurant.

* * *

At Wagstaff Elementary School, Tina stopped off at her locker before class started. Gene trailed behind, contentedly playing his keyboard, humming an accompanying melody.

“Hey, Tina,” she looked to her left to see Regular sized Rudy. Jimmy Jr., Zeke, Tammy, and Jocelyn were close by, chattering and dawdling.

“Oh, hey, Rudy.”

“So, when is Louise coming back?”

“Uhh, she said she won't come back unless she can wear her ears.”

“Oh. I don't think the principal is gonna back down on this,” said Rudy honestly. He was right; Principal Spoors had gone totalitarian on them. Instead of phone boxes, his office now had a 'hat box.' Any student who came in wearing a hat, would have it confiscated for the day, only getting it back when the school day was over. “So, Louise is never gonna come back to school?”

“I don't think so,” she said honestly.

“Can she do that?”

“Well, you know how stubborn she is,” Tina said.

“Yeah, you're right,” Rudy nodded, fully aware of that fact. “Will she go to a new school?”

“The only other elementary school is in Bog Harbour,” said Gene. “I guess if the principal stands strong, she might go there.”

“Really?” Rudy's eyebrows raised.

“Well, I'm just filling in for her right now. She's not here, we haven't discussed it; so I'm just trying to read her mind.”

“What's the deal with those ears anyway? She never takes them off!” said Jocelyn, and Tina noticed the other kids were listening in.

“It's.. personal,” was all she said.

* * *

Bob and Louise climbed into the car, Louise looking none too happy, as Bob began to drive.

In many ways, they were lucky, he thought. The accident had not left Louise with any scars. Well, any mental scars. She wasn't afraid of fire, as they had feared she might be. In fact, she loved it a little too much. Perhaps, considering where they worked, it was a good thing. But then again, perhaps it wasn't.

They soon arrived the doctor's office for Louise's routine appointment, and Bob accompanied her inside the sterile room.

“So, hello, Louise,” smiled Dr. Oliver King. “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” Louise crossed her arms, looking irritated.

“Great. Well, if it's all right with you, I'll take a look at your head, shall I?”

“Fine,” Louise repeated, looking as though she'd rather be anywhere else. She set her jaw, and stared obstinately at the floor. “Dad, get out,” she ordered.

“All right. Let me know when you're done.” As usual, Bob left the room and waited in the hallway.

“Ready when you are, Louise.” Dr. King waited patiently as Louise raised her clenched hands, clutching at the tassels to her precious ears. Her fingers twitched, and she did not remove her gaze from the floor.

King said nothing, and merely waited. He knew how hard it was for her.

Eventually, Louise moved her hand up to the ears, gently grasped one, and slowly removed her hat. She kept her head down, blushing furiously, as Dr. King approached her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his raise his arms, and she really had to stop herself, with every muscle in her body, from slapping him.

The doctor gently placed his hands on her head, examining the bald spot while Louise fought not to squirm, fingers digging into her hat. The patch was still fist-sized, the scars still visible. He nodded to himself.

“Well?” she asked after a few moments, knowing full well what the answer would be.

“It hasn't changed in size or shape,” said King, confirming her thoughts, “and the scarring is still there.”

“And my ears?” she whispered.

“They look the same,” he informed her, taking notes on her ears, the tops of which had a flattened appearance, the top halves smaller than they should be, along with minor scarring. “Well, there's no sign of infection, which is good. You haven't lost any more hair, as it's been for the last five years; the patch is still the same size, again, the same as it's always been.” As soon as he started talking, Louise had yanked her bunny ears back on. “So, we can, again, get you fitted for a wig or a hairpiece -”

“No,” said Louise, bored of having this same conversation every six months. “They could get blown off, or pulled off; how many times do I have to explain it to you?”

“All right, fair enough. Well, counselling is still an option -”

“I don't need counselling,” she told him firmly. “There's nothing wrong with me. I just want to know if you actually have any decent ideas.”

“The only other thing we can offer is another round of tissue expanders.”

“I don't think so,” she said.

“It would completely cover the bald patch, and hide the scarring.”

“No! Not after what happened last time.”

“You are older now, and methods have improved since then. That won't happen again.” 

“No,” she repeated. She had no desire to go through that again, with no guarantee that it would actually work, despite what the doctor said. What about the scars on her ears? Besides, she would still be left with the scars and the bald patch on her head, anyway. They would just be hidden. But they would still be there. She'd _know_.

“Okay,” he said, used to her refusal by now. “Well, we won't force you. But have a think about it, yeah? It would be a few weeks of discomfort; that's all.” But Louise vividly remembered her first surgery, and what had followed. Discomfort was a very very mild way of putting it. The word 'discomfort' would not even enter her vocabulary, when she thought about that time in her life.

Bob did a little double-take as Louise marched right past him, heading out to the car. He quickly glanced at the doctor, who shook his head. Knowing what that meant, Bob nodded dejectedly, and followed his daughter to the car.

“Wanna go to Moo's Clues?” he asked once inside the vehicle, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Sure you can afford to stay away from the restaurant that long?” she said sarcastically.

“Sure, I can. Or, if you want, we can get something to eat; you can pick?” Louise knew what he was doing; it happened after every appointment.

“Moo's Clues,” she said, and Bob nodded.

“You got it,” he said. “So... it went the same as usual?” he asked awkwardly after a while.

“Your observational skills are amazing(!) You should work for the FBI,” she said dryly.

“Louise..” he sighed. “Maybe it would be good to -” he didn't get to finish.

“Good to what? To get a wig, and have it get blown off in the wind?”

“No -” but he was again cut off.

“Or to have them cut into my head, yet again?”

“Well, maybe you should think about it,” he encouraged. “It would work this time.”

“But I don't want to have it done,” she insisted. “I can just carry on wearing my ears.”

“But the school says you can't go back until you stop.”

“Whose side are you on?!” she shrieked, waving her arms. “I am _not_ going back to school until they say I can wear my ears!”

“Louise, we've tried talking to them,” Bob sighed, regretting even bringing it up. “But they won't budge.”

“Well, I won't, either. Can't you get the doctor to write a note? They can't argue with that, can they?”

“I don't think so.” Bob couldn't believe that neither he nor Linda had thought of that. It should work; Louise did have a legitimate reason for wearing her hat. Maybe if she had a doctor's note, the teachers couldn't object. “I'll speak to your mother when we get home. Do you.. do you still want ice cream?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I do!”

“All right, then.”

Once inside the ice cream shop, Bob and Louise got into the queue, and Louise peered up at the board, wondering what to have.

“Two scoops of Cookie Dough, and one scoop of.. Chocolate Fudge,” she said to the lady.

Once they had their ice cream, they headed to one of the tables. Due to it being a weekday, the little shop was not very busy.

“When we're done here, do you wanna take a look around some of the stores?” he asked, and Louise looked up at him, doing an exaggerated double-take.

“Did I hear you right? You wanna stay away from the restaurant?”

“I wouldn't put it like that -”

“Wow, you really hate that place, don't you? You're finally learning,” she grinned at him. “Pretty soon, you'll find the strength to walk away forever, and when you do, it'll feel so good. Just hang in there, Dad; you'll get there someday.” Bob chuckled.

“I just thought it might be nice to do a little window shopping.”

“Ugh, window shopping? I know we're poor, but do we really have to show it off? We'd better go inside the stores.”

“All right, fine.”

* * *

By the time Gene and Tina had returned from school, Bob and Louise were still not back. Thankfully, it had been an excruciatingly slow day, and so Linda had been able to handle things by herself. It was pretty easy to run the restaurant when all she had to do was cook Teddy's burger, and keep his coffee topped up. And listen to his stories, which made the day drag even more.

“Hey, Mom,” Tina slid into the second booth, placing her backpack on the table.

“Hi, my babies, how was school?”

“Meh,” Gene sat down opposite his sister. “They were running low on fish sticks, so everyone only got two! Which means I only got two! And then, in P.E., I actually had to _run!_ Oh, and I also sat in paint in art class.” Gene leaned over and showed Linda a large, red splotch on the seat of his shorts.

“Aw, my little baby! My poor little Genie!” Linda rushed over to him, sweeping him up in a hug. “Ooh! Oh, you need to change out of those shorts.”

“Way ahead of you.” In one quick movement, Gene whipped his shorts off, waving them proudly.

“Wow, that was quick,” said Tina. “Have you been practising?”

“It comes naturally, sister,” Gene took a deep bow, before sitting back down, groaning when he realised that he had sat back in the paint stain.

“Where is everyone?” asked Tina as Gene wriggled out of the booth.

“Your father and sister are on their way home; they won't be long.”

“Wait, where did they go?” Tina looked confused, before remembering. “Oh, it's for...” she trailed off, pointing to her head, and Linda nodded.

“Yeah, he took her for ice cream afterwards.”

“Dad never takes us out for ice cream,” Gene complained, pouting.

“I'll take you both out for ice cream next week,” said Linda, as Bob entered the restaurant. “Hi, Bobby. Where's Louise?”

“She's upstairs,” said Bob, giving his kids a quick hug, before pulling his apron on.

“So... the same, then?” she asked.

“Yep,” Bob headed back into the kitchen. “Same as usual.”

“Well, that's that, then.” Linda knew that trying to coerce Louise would end badly for everyone, so there was nothing they could do. Louise only went to the appointments because she absolutely had to; it was one of the very few things that Bob and Linda wouldn't back down on. “Still, she should keep going to them.”

“Oh, yeah,” Bob's head poked through the hatch. “Perhaps one day she'll see that -”

“She can cover it for good,” Linda finished.

Louise remained upstairs for the rest of the day, which Bob and Linda had no problem. She was fine; she wasn't angry, or in any kind of bad mood, so it was safe to leave her alone.

“Wha – what happened?” Linda had to laugh as she looked around the apartment after closing that night. Every available surface was covered in black stickers, all of which read, 'Property of Louise Belcher,' 'Hands off this belongs to Louise,' and 'Now under new ownership'. “What is this?”

“Oh, yeah, when we were out shopping, Louise found a label maker. I forgot to mention,” Bob looked around sheepishly. “She really wanted it.”

“Yes, I can see.” The stickers even covered the stairs and banisters, every DVD and VHS, and the remote. She kind of dreaded seeing what the kitchen looked like. “Louise! Louise, where are you? What is this?” She gestured around the living-room when Louise appeared.

“Oh, just marking my territory,” she grinned, looking around the label-dotted room.

“I'll mark my territory, too!” Gene cried, pulling his underwear down, and facing the potted plant.

“Gene...” Bob warned, but it was too late, and Gene had started peeing. Bob groaned; he often wondered just how on Earth that plant was still alive.

“Louise, you can cover your room in stickers, but that's it,” Linda continued.

“Sorry, Mom; I own all this now. I mean, it's not much; it'll probably only get me a hundred bucks if I sold it, but it's mine. The labels said so.”

“No, it's not, Miss Missy.”

“Yes, it is; you can't just go against what the labels say. It's simple; every time you want to use something, just ask me, and I'll decide whether or not you can.”

“No, Louise; the stuff in this house belongs to everyone.”

“Well, not according to these labels.”

“Louise, if you wanna do this, you can cover everything you own with labels,” said Linda.

“I'm not doing that!” Louise looked aghast. “That would ruin them!”

“Wait, what?” Bob looked up from the sofa, having ignored the labels peppered all over it.

“Gotta go!” Louise called over her shoulder, as she dashed to her room.

Linda began removing the stickers, having to use some white spirit to get some of the marks off. The kitchen was just as she feared; stickers on the table, on the chairs, on the fridge, the oven. Louise had even put labels on every single item inside the fridge.

Bob came in to make a start on dinner, while Linda continued cleaning.

“At least she's in a good mood,” said Linda, scraping away.

“Yeah, I mean, it could be worse. It _has_ been worse,” Bob agreed. Honestly, covering the house in stickers was the least terrible thing Louise had after one of her appointments, so they couldn't complain.

“What... is this?” Louise looked disgusted as she was presented with a pile of papers when she sat down in front of the coffee table after dinner.

“It's homework,” said Tina.

“Why the hell do I have homework?! I'm suspended!”

“Louise, you still have to do work; being suspended's not a vacation,” Bob told her, as he walked through to the kitchen.

“Of course it is! That's why I'm at home; they could have done in school suspension.”

“Well, not really; the whole thing was that you don't go to school with your ears on.”

“Then what's the point in making me do homework? Surely, that falls under the category of school work, right? It's basically the same thing as in school suspension!”

“Mm, not really” Bob poked his head through the doorway. “This is homework; work for home, so it doesn't count.”

“Ugh!” Louise swept the various papers off the table.

“Louise, are you training to be a road sweeper?” asked Gene.

“Right, you kids go to bed,” said Linda, setting her glass of wine down, diffusing a potential land mine. “Goodnight, my babies.”

“'Night, Mom!” called Gene.

Linda gave them time to brush their teeth, and get into their pyjamas, before she went in to properly say goodnight, with lots of goodnight kisses and hugs.

Even before she went into the hallway, she could hear Tina groaning, and she found her eldest standing at the entrance to her bedroom.

“Tina, what's wrong, sweetie?” she asked, coming up behind her daughter.

“I don't think I'm allowed in there,” said Tina.

“Your room?” she asked, and Tina nodded. “Why?”

“It's Louise's.” Tina gestured, and Linda looked inside. Every surface was covered in stickers, even the bed, pillow, and bedspread. “I have to ask her for permission.”

“No, you don't; Louise was just playing.”

“But.. everything says 'Louise' on it, so that means it belongs to her. So, I have to ask her, but she's in bed. She'll be asleep soon, and then I'll have to sleep on the couch in my clothes...” Tina began to groan again, and Linda hugged her tightly.

“Come with me,” she took Tina down the hall, and opened Louise's bedroom door. “Louise!” she called, and Louise, already in bed, looked up. “Tell Tina she can sleep in her own room.”

“What?”

“You covered your sister's room in labels, and now she thinks she can't sleep in there, so tell her she can.” Louise looked slightly amused.

“You can sleep in your own room, T.”

“Oh, thanks. Can I wear my own pyjamas?” she asked, and Louise fought to not roll her eyes.

“Yes, Tina.”

“Okay, cool. Cool, cool. What about -”

“Tina!” Louise threw her arms up. “Everything in your room belongs to you!”

“But the labels say -”

“Forget the labels!” Louise yelled. “They don't mean anything! They're just stickers!”

“Oh. Okay.” Tina nodded slightly, and walked to her own room.

“All right, Tina, I'll be in in just a minute, baby!” Linda called down the hall. “You're cleaning up all these stickers tomorrow, Louise. No negotiations.”

“Oh, come on!”

* * *

The following day, once Gene and Tina were at school, Bob watched the restaurant, while Linda took Louise to the doctor.

“All right, what seems to be the problem?” asked Dr Bailey. She looked down at Louise. “You look as though you're in good health.”

“Well, we're looking for a doctor's note,” explained Linda. “Her school has a new rule, that you can't wear hats, and Louise needs to wear her hat, so we need a note.”

“Mm. And is there a medical reason for wearing the hat?” she asked, eyeing the bunny ears, and Louise nodded fervently.

“Yes. She hasn't been to school in over a week, now. I think if we have a note from you, they'll let her come back.”

“Okay, fair enough.” Dr Bailey nodded. “And what is the reason for wearing the hat?”

“It's a very important reason; that's all you need to know,” said Louise.

“Well, if I don't know the reason, then I can't write you a note.”

“All you need to know is I need to wear my ears.”

“I'm sorry, but I don't think I can write you a note just because you want to wear your hat,” said Dr Bailey apologetically.

“Louise, sweetie, why don't you go wait outside for a minute?” Linda suggested. “I just wanna have a private word.”

Louise knew exactly what Linda was doing, but she hopped down from her chair anyway, and went into the hallway. “The thing is,” Linda said, after Louise had left, “she really needs to wear her hat.”

“Okay, but why?”

“When she was little, we had a fire.” Linda's heart twisted at the memory, “and she got burned on her head; she has a bald spot. She wears the hat to cover it.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” said Dr Bailey genuinely, “but unless there's infection, or possibly of contagion, I don't think I could write a note.” Linda sighed dejectedly.

“Could you.. maybe write one so she can wear it for...” she paused, “like, her mental health, or something? Doesn't that cover it?”

“Do you believe that it affects her mental health?”

“... Yes,” Linda admitted. “She completely breaks down if she doesn't have the hat.” Her first thought had been 'no', but she'd seen first-hand the effect of not wearing her ears had on Louise. “She just doesn't want people to see her like that.”

“Okay.” Dr Bailey nodded once again. “Well, that sounds like reason enough; I'll write you the note.”

“Oh, thank you!” Linda beamed.

Louise was still in the hallway, playing with the blood pressure machine, when Linda left the office. “Good news; you can go back to school!” she grinned. Louise dropped the cuff, and turned to face her mother.

“I can wear my ears?”

“Yes; the doctor wrote you a note.”

“Too bad it won't get me out of school,” said Louise, as they made their way out of the building.

“Well, at least you can keep wearing your ears; that's the most important thing. I'll go down to the school later today, show them the note, and explain, and then you can go back.”

“Yay(!)” said Louise.

“And when we get home, you're going straight upstairs, and cleaning up all those stickers. Every single one.”

“What?! No!”

“No negotiations, Louise,” said Linda firmly.

After they arrived back at the restaurant, Linda made sure Louise went upstairs, and got back in the car, and drove down to Wagstaff. Pretty soon, she found herself back in the office of Principal Spoors.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Belcher, what can I do for you today?” he asked politely.

“Well, uh, good news; Louise can come back to school now.”

“She's going to take the hat off?”

“Uh, no, but we have a doctor's note,” Linda produced it from her bag, and handed it over.

“'Mental health issues'?” Spoors raised an eyebrow after examining the note.

“Yeah; it's a real reason.” Spoors placed the note on his desk, and surveyed the woman.

“Mrs. Belcher, I've been at this school for over twenty years; your daughter has been coming here for three years. I know mental health issues; Louise does not have them,” he told her. “Believe me; I've dealt with many students with mental health issues; your daughter doesn't fit the bill.”

“That's because you've never seen her without her hat on. We told you that's she's insecure without it. Kids can be cruel; surely you know that? She has a bald spot, why should she have to have it on show?”

“I'm sure there are other options,” said Spoors.

“There aren't any!” Linda didn't mean to snap, but he just wasn't listening. “If she wore a wig, it would only irritate her skin. The hat helps.”

“Look, Mrs. Belcher, I understand that she has a reason to want to wear the hat, but rules are rules. I really don't want to be getting constant phone calls from the other parents. I already told you that I've been accused of favouritism.”

“So, you're just doing this because you want a peaceful life? This doctor's note is completely valid,” said Linda. “I don't care what you think about mental health; if Louise can't wear her ears, then she changes. It's like she's a completely different person. Plus, I'm not gonna let her endure the teasing she'll get from the other kids; I'm not putting her through that, and if you're a halfway decent person, you won't either.”

“Well, Mrs. Belcher, there's no guarantee that she would be teased. I would speak to the students, and let them know to treat Louise nicely.” Linda laughed in disbelief.

“Did you even go to school? It doesn't matter what you say, there are certain kids who will be bullies, no matter what. And I'll tell you this; if my little Louise tells me she's being bullied, you'll wish you never took this job.” Spoors sat there silently, observing her crazy eyes.

“I'll think about it. I'll gather the staff together, and we'll let you know before Monday morning.” It wasn't the best answer, but it would do.

“Good; just don't forget that my daughter is missing out on her education, and you can change that,” was all she said, before leaving the office.

“What did he say?” asked Bob, when Linda arrived home.

“He said he'll think about it, and let us know soon,” said Linda, pulling on her apron. “He didn't think much of the doctor's note,” she added.

“Oh, you got one? What does it say?”

“Well, it says that she needs the hat for mental health reasons.” She noticed Bob was staring at her through the hatch. “It's kinda the truth, right? I mean, you've seen what she's like without it.”

“I suppose you're right. That's a good point,” said Bob, wiping the prep table, if only to have something to do.

“It's not like she's wearing it for the fun of it,” Linda continued, leaning against the counter. “She does have a reason, and I don't see the harm in letting her wear it to school.”

“Yeah, but.. what if the other kids get jealous that Louise is the only one allowed to wear a hat? What if they're.. mean to her?”

“As long as Louise has her ears, she can handle anything!” said Linda confidently. “By the way, has she finished cleaning up those stickers yet?”

“Oh, I didn't know she supposed to be cleaning,” Bob admitted.

“She hasn't done it, has she?”

“You know it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! What did you think? I've been trying to focus on dialogue a bit more in this story, as I feel like I'm getting to know the characters better, and I can flesh out their personalities a bit more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone. This is a bit of a long one, so make yourselves comfy, and enjoy.

The Origin of the Ears

Chapter 4

_May 7 th, 2014_

_Louise, now discharged, stood in the kids' room at Teddy's house, and examined her head in the mirror. Her eyes lingered on the port which led to the silicone balloon under her scalp. The port resembled a small, white button, and she reached up and touched it delicately. She didn't physically feel anything, but it felt weird, knowing that the port was attached to a cord that was attached to the balloon._

_The doctors had made the decision to have an external port, due to Louise's age. An external port meant easier injections, and less pain and upset._

_She wasn't too sure why she needed this funny button; she'd heard the word expansion, but she didn't know what it meant. She hoped that when she got her new hair, they would take the button out._

_She was going to ask the doctor if he could fix her ears, as well; she knew that they had done a surgery on them, but they didn't do a very good job. They looked weird, and she frowned at herself in the mirror. It looked like the tops of her ears had just stopped growing._

_Louise looked around the little room, which she shared with her siblings; they all curled up together in the double bed. There were two night stands, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, a mirror, and a hamper for dirty clothes. She spent all of her free time in here, but she didn't like it; there was nothing to do. She could only draw on the walls so many times._

_Linda stopped typing on the family laptop as Louise toddled into the living-room. She was due to have her first round of injections in just a few days, and Linda was still really worried. What if they injected her in the wrong place? What if it didn't work? They would have performed surgery on her for nothing._

“ _Mom, I'm bored,” Louise complained, jamming her fingers on the keyboard._

“ _Hey, watch that, missy!” Linda pressed the power button just in time. “If you break this, you're buying a new one!” she joked._

“ _But I'm bored,” Louise repeated. Her head was no longer bandaged, but she was wearing a small cap made of dressing. She didn't need to wear it, but Louise refused to take it off._

“ _Well, why don't you watch a movie, or play with the General?” Linda suggested. But Louise shook her head, and pressed a book into her hands. “You want me to read it again?” She looked down at “Kuchi Kopi's Long Journey Home.” She'd read it to Louise every single day since she had come home from the hospital. Twice. She was certain she could recite several passages from memory._

“ _I like it.” Linda's face softened._

“ _All right; come and sit next to me.” Louise gladly climbed onto the sofa as Linda opened the book. If it made her baby happy, then of course she would do it. “_ _It all started on a chilly night in the enchanted land of Kofuku,” she began. Louise sat contentedly beside her, staring at the book with intent fascination._

_It was decided that Bob would be the one to take Louise to her injections. It just made sense; she was much closer to him than she was to Linda. Linda was actually surprised that Louise allowed her mother to read to her. But, as Bob was out most of the day, almost every day, trying to fix his restaurant, Linda was her only option. Louise could read, but she wasn't great at it, and the Kuchi Kopi book had some big words, funny ones that she couldn't understand, like 'Osore', the name of the scary forest._

_So, the following week, Bob and Louise found themselves back at the hospital._

“ _Hello, Louise, how you doing?” smiled Dr. Quinn._

“ _Fine. I want my hair back,” said Louise, sat next to her father._

“ _You'll have hair soon enough. In just a few weeks, you'll be done.” He was twisting the lid off of a small tub._

“ _What are you gonna do?”_

“ _I'm just gonna rub this special cream on your forehead, okay? It's a numbing cream.” Louise nodded, and Quinn leaned forward, and gently massaged the cream into her head, at the hairline, where the port was.“We're going to put some saline in the balloon, and it will get bigger, and we'll do that every two weeks, and then, we can use it to cover the bare patch.”_

“ _Balloon?” Louise had heard before about some kind of balloon in her head, but she couldn't see anything, nor could she feel it. “Where's the balloon?”_

“ _It's very small; about this size,” Quinn held out his hand, outlining his palm. “It won't get bigger right away; it'll be little at first.”_

“ _Okay, and when will you fix my ears?”_

“ _We already fixed them; when we put the balloon in.”_

“ _You didn't fix them; they look bad.”_

“ _They look fine, Louise,” said Bob._

“ _No, they don't! They're baby's ears, and I'm not a baby!”_

“ _Louise, it's because you're not used to them. They look the way your ears used to look, just a little bit smaller. Now, shall we start?”_

 _Louise nodded, eager to get on with it, ear problems briefly forgotten._ _Her eyes widened as Quinn picked up a needle, and she subconsciously shuffled closer to her dad._

“ _What's that?”_

“ _It's what I'm going to put in your port; don't worry, you won't feel anything.” But Louise's eyes grew larger and more frightened, and she leaned back as Quinn approached her._

“ _I don't want that.”_

“ _I'm afraid it needs to be done. It'll only take a second.” Louise shook her head. That needle was pointy, and she knew that pointy things were sharp, and caused pain, and she didn't like pain._

“ _No.”_

“ _Come on, Louise,” he said calmly. “You won't feel it.”_

“ _Yes, I will!”_

“ _You won't.” He turned to Bob. “It might be quicker and easier if you held her.”_

“ _I'm not gonna hold her down,” said Bob. “It'll work today, but it won't next week. And she won't trust me any more.” Most people told him that children, especially very young children, quickly forgot about things like that. But not Louise. She was way too clever for her meagre four years. “Just let me talk to her.” Bob drew her onto his lap, and turned her to face him “Louise? Louise, look at me,” he said, and she did. “You need to let the doctor do this, okay?”_

“ _No!” She shook her head, her frightened stare fixed on him._

“ _Louise, I promise you that it will not hurt. I won't let anyone hurt you; I'm your daddy.”_

“ _But I don't want it!” she wailed._

“ _Why? Why don't you want it?”_

“ _Because it's gonna hurt! He's gonna stab me!”_

“ _He won't stab you; he'll be gentle. I'm right here, and I'm watching. You won't feel anything.”_

“ _How do you know?” she pouted, gripping his hand tightly with her small ones._

“ _Because that cream he put on your head, is a numbing cream, Do you know what that means?” he asked, and Louise shook her head again. “Well, it means that you can't feel anything on your forehead.”_

“ _I'll feel it; I know I will!” Bob raised his hand and gently pressed his finger to her forehead, on the opposite side, as he didn't want to touch the port._

“ _Did you feel that?”_

“ _Feel what?”_

“ _I just touched your head. And you didn't feel it, so you won't feel the needle; I promise.”_

“ _But, Daddy, I don't want it!” Bob felt terrible; he'd never seen her like this. Not even last year, when she caught the chicken pox. She was absolutely terrified, and he didn't know what to do._

“ _Louise, this will make your hair grow back,” he said. “I know you want to have your hair back, and this is the only way we can do it. Tell you what, squeeze my hand as hard as you can, all right?” She stared at him. “And, afterwards, we can go out for ice cream, how does that sound?”_

“ _Can I have two scoops?” she asked._

“ _Of course you can, but only if you let the doctor do his job,” said Bob. Louise hesitated for a moment, her gaze flitting between the needle and her dad's hand. Finally, she nodded._

“ _Thank you, Louise,” said Quinn. “I promise you, it won't hurt.”_

_Louise kept her large eyes fixed on the needle as the doctor approached her. She was squeezing Bob's hand so hard that he was sure he was going to have tiny bruises all over his fingers. As Dr. Quinn got closer, Louise leaned backward, into Bob's chest, and he placed his free arm around her reassuringly. The little girl's heart pounded as the needle got closer and closer to her face, and she bit her lip as Quinn raised it to her forehead._

_They both were right; she didn't feel any pain, but Louise still cried out in fear as the needle went in._

_She felt no pain, but she did feel a slight pressure, which, of course, meant that they had lied to her. She had felt something, and she didn't like it._

* * *

“ _So, when Louise comes home, her head might be a little bigger. But she's very upset about it, so please don't say anything, okay?” Linda knelt down in front of Gene and Tina._

“ _We can't say anything? Anything at all?” Tina looked worried._

“ _No, sweetie; you can still talk to her; just don't say anything about her head.”_

“ _What about her face?” Gene tilted his head thoughtfully._

“ _If it's something nice, then sure. Louise is going to have more of these special injections, and each one is going to make her head bigger, so we don't want you to make a big deal of it.”_

“ _Is she gonna look like Sloth?” asked Gene._

“ _Gene! Now, that wasn't nice.”_

“ _Sorry, Mommy; it's just, Sloth is the only one I know with a big head, and is Louise gonna look like him?”_

“ _I don't know,” said Linda honestly. She didn't want to think about it; she just wanted it to be all over and done with._

_Gene and Tina were having their after school snacks on the sofa, when Bob and Louise arrived. He was holding her on his hip, with her head resting on his shoulder, and Linda knew that it hadn't gone well. She noticed that Louise was wearing Bob's old fedora, and the brim fell down to her nose._

_Bob put her on the sofa, and Louise lifted the brim to grab Gene's crackers, and began to watch the cartoons with her siblings. “So...” Linda looked at Bob, and gestured to the kitchen._

“ _Yeah, it didn't go great,” said Bob. He looked upset. “She was so scared; I've never seen her like that before, Lin. It was awful.”_

“ _Aw, my poor baby. But.. we can't stop now, can we? I mean, it wouldn't do any good to stop now; it wouldn't help her.”_

“ _I know, Lin. I think she was scared because it was the first one. Now that she knows what to expect, it might be easier.”_

“ _Yeah, maybe.” Linda paused. “Did it – has her head grown?”_

“ _I don't know,” Bob admitted. “She hasn't let me see it yet. I gave her the hat, because she kept rubbing her head, and I didn't want her to irritate the port.”_

“ _Okay. What are we gonna do about kindergarten? She's gotta go back.”_

“ _She told me she isn't going back until her hair's grown back,” Bob shrugged. “I really don't wanna try and force her; she's strong. See what she did to my hand?” He held it out, and sure enough, there were little bruises dotted here and there._

“ _Damn,” Linda chuckled. “There's the tough girl I know. Oh, well, just twelve more weeks.”_

“ _Oh, yeah, the doctor changed his mind,” said Bob, gently rubbing his sore hand. “He said it might be better to do the injections every week, instead of every two weeks. He said it would be easier on Louise, and it would be over quicker.”_

“ _That's a good idea; I think Louise would prefer that.”_

_As the week went on, Louise's head began to swell. At first, it wasn't noticeable, but she woke up one morning to find Tina staring at her._

“ _What?” she asked grumpily. She'd been grumpy a lot lately, and Tina quickly turned away, not wanting to say anything that would make her little sister mad._

“ _Uh, nothing,” she said. Louise clambered over her, and went over to the mirror, and her jaw dropped at the sight. A lump the size of an apple was on her head, almost directly on the top. Her skin had stretched over the lump, and her hair hung down around it. Louise stared in horror, as Linda came in._

“ _What's the matter, sweetie?” she asked, unable to stop herself from looking at the lump._

“ _My head!” Louise shrieked, attempting to cover it with her hands. “It's all big and gross!”_

“ _You look fine, baby!” Linda went over to hug Louise, but her daughter pushed her away._

“ _Why is it like this?” she cried._

“ _Well, this is how they'll get your hair back,” said Linda, bending down to Louise's level. “The bigger it gets, the more the hair will grow, and then they'll be able to cover the bare patch.”_

“ _But I don't like this!” Louise screeched, stamping her foot. “Why didn't nobody tell me?”_

“ _We tried to,” said Linda truthfully, “but you really wanted your hair to grow back, and this is the quickest way.”_

_Louise pouted and sank to the floor, crossing her arms._

“ _I'm not coming out, even to eat.”_

“ _Are you sure, baby, because -”_

“ _I'm sure!” Louise kicked her legs frustratedly. “How long until this goes away?”_

“ _Well, with every injection, it will get a little bit bigger, so six weeks.”_

“ _Why do I have to have moooore?!” Louise whined, throwing herself face-first onto the floor, and then whining in pain. “Ow,” she rubbed her forehead._

“ _You'll have to be careful not to bump your head,” said Linda, sitting on the floor next to Louise. “It's a bit tender. Can you be brave, and stick it out?”_

“ _Don't want to,” came her muffled voice. “Don't like this.”_

“ _I know you don't,” Linda soothed. “But it'll only happen six more times, and then it'll be over, and you'll have hair again. Can you be a big girl, and do this?”_

“ _I am a big girl.”_

“ _I know you are, that's why I'm asking you to be brave. Me and Daddy won't force you; if you don't want to do this any more, then we can stop.” Louise thought it over. The way she saw it, she had two choices. One, she would look absolutely, utterly ridiculous and terrible for a few weeks, and have a full head of hair by the end of it (and suffer complete humiliation and shame in the meantime), or she could quit right now.. and have a bald spot for the rest of her life. A bald spot which everyone would see, and stare at, and giggle, and make fun of, and point out, and -_

“ _I'll do it,” she said, sitting back up. “But,” she pointed a tiny finger, “I am_ not _leaving this room, and don't try to make me!”_

“ _If that's what you want,” said Linda, the tiniest hint of uncertainty in her voice. “All right, sweetie, you can stay in here.”_

_As soon as Gene and Tina were dressed and out of the room, Gene turned to his mother, his eyes wide._

“ _It looked like Louise had a tiny Cousin Itt on her head!”_

“ _Mommy, why is Louise so mad?” Tina couldn't really remember her sister this angry. Louise was usually a hyperactive ball of energy; now, she was like a thunderstorm._

“ _She's upset about the way her head looks,” said Linda, shepherding them to the kitchen. “So, that's why you have to be extra specially nice to her okay?”_

“ _She kept kicking me last night,” Tina stopped to rub her sore ankle._

“ _Me, too!” Gene complained._

“ _All right, I'll talk to her about that, but just remember; she's dealing with a lot, so we gotta make allowances for her.”_

“ _Okay, Mommy.”_

“ _MOOOOM!” At the sound of Louise's voice, Linda went running back to the room. Louise was still on the floor, her fists clenched._

“ _What? What is it?”_

“ _My head hurts!” Louise wailed, pummelling the floor with her fists._

“ _Hurts where, sweetie?” she asked, and Louise pointed to the balloon._

“ _I don't like it; take it out!” she ordered._

“ _I can't do that; I'm not a doctor,” said Linda gently. “I'll get you some medicine.”_

“ _It won't help!” Louise shrieked as Linda left the room. Bob came with her; knowing what Louise was like about taking medicine. Together, they managed to get two spoonfuls down her, and Linda told her irritated daughter to get some rest._

* * *

_True to her word, Louise remained in the room, shrieking through the closed door for Linda or Bob to bring her meals in. She resolutely refused to bathe, and only went to the bathroom at night, when she was sure no one was awake._

_Bob and Linda couldn't bear to see her like that; she wasn't sleeping properly, and she was in a lot of pain. The parents had more than once run out of Tylenol. The ever-growing lump caused her a lot of irritation and unbelievable pain, and she refused to take Bob's fedora off._

_Bob continued to take her for her weekly expander injections._

“ _I don't wanna go!” Louise would shriek, seeming to forget her previous agreement. “No, no, no!”_

_Bob didn't want to force her, but he really had no choice; if he even went near her to try and put her in the car, Louise would start kicking, and her little fingernails were sharp. Therefore, the only option was to (gently) tackle her from behind. Once in the car, she was only slightly easier to deal with._

_However, Bob refused to hold her down at the doctor's; he was adamant about that. It would not help her in the long run._ _He knew the needles terrified her, and he felt awful, but all he could do was hold her, and comfort her, while she flung her arms around his neck and sobbed and screamed. Sitting her on his lap, hugging her, listening to her cry made him want to cry, but he did his best to be strong._

“ _It'll be fine,” he reassured her, after coming home from her fourth injection, the lump on her head now the size of a small melon._

“ _No!” she shouted, running to the kids' room, but Bob followed her this time._

“ _Louise, it's just two more to go, and then we can stop,” he called through the closed door._

“ _Don't want to!” It was the same every week; Louise would have a little meltdown before (and during, and after) her appointment; she would get upset, and refuse to go back, but then she would mellow._

“ _Louise, you're doing so well,” Bob entered the room, not caring about the very real risk of his eardrums being pierced. “If there's something we can do to make you happy, tell me.”_

“ _Leave me alone!” she pulled the brim of the fedora over her eyes._

“ _Louise, I just wanna help,” he implored._

“ _Don't come near me,” she warned, sticking out her arm, but Bob approached her, anyway, bending down. She peeked out from under the brim, glaring at him._

“ _Listen to me, Louise; you're my daughter, and it makes me sad to see you sad, so -” SMACK._

 _Louise's tiny hand had shot out, and she had slapped Bob right across the face, and he fell backwards, shocked. He brought a hand up to his stinging cheek, wondering what had just happened. Did his child, his little four-year-old child, just strike him?_ “ _Louise -!” he began, but then he looked into her upset face, and he suddenly saw, in his mind's eye, her lying in the hospital bed, her little head bandaged, and he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't be mad at her. Not when she'd gone through something so horrible. How could he shout at her? She was dealing with enough. “Don't do that again,” his voice wobbled slightly, and he left the room._

_That night, Bob and Linda were awakened by a loud thud, followed by a cry of pain._

“ _That's one of the kids,” Linda sat up, rubbing her eyes._

“ _Sounded like Gene,” Bob, equally as tired, stumbled out of bed. They made their way down the hall, their pace quickening when they heard crying._

_They found Louise on the floor of the kids' room, clutching her head. A sleepy Gene and Tina were on the verge of waking up._

“ _Louise! My baby, what happened?!” Linda rushed over and dropped to her knees._

“ _I fell out of bed and hit my head! The balloon hurts!” Louise cried, digging her nails into her face._

“ _Oh, my God!” Linda picked her daughter up, and checked her over. The balloon appeared to have half-deflated, and there was bruising to the forehead. “Where did you hit it, on what?”_

“ _On the table!” Louise flung her arm in the general direction of the bedside table._

“ _All right, we're gonna take you to the hospital,” said Linda, standing up, and walking to the door._

“ _No!” Louise cried._

“ _Baby, they need to check you over,” Linda dodged past a sleepy Teddy. “Oh, Teddy, can you watch the kids?” she called over her shoulder, as she ran downstairs, Bob on her heels._

“ _Uh, sure?” He barely had time to blink before Bob, Linda, and Louise had rushed out of the door._

* * *

“ _We need to remove the balloon,” said Dr. Quinn, at the hospital. “Right away; the silicone may have started leaking already.”_

“ _Is that bad?” asked Bob._

“ _The actual saline is harmless, it's not toxic, but we need to remove the expander, and replace it. There is also the risk of infection, as she hit her head.”_

“ _Okay, do it,” said Linda, covering her face. Louise had already been given a mild sedative; it was the only way to allow Quinn to get close enough to inspect her, and now she was dozing in the paediatric ward._

“ _What we'll do is remove the expander, and then stretch what excess skin there is over the bald patch. It won't cover it completely, but it'll be a start. Then, we'll give her a few weeks to heal, before inserting a new expander, and completing the process. We can perform the surgery right away.” The parents could only nod worriedly, and clutched each other when Quinn left._

_They didn't even register falling asleep, until they were awakened several hours later by a different doctor, and once again led to the ward._

_Louise was still asleep, her head bandaged. How many times were they going to have to see her like this?_

* * *

_One positive thing during this mess, was that their apartment was now ready, and they were able to move back into their home. It felt so right sleeping in their own beds, eating at their own table, sitting on their own sofa. The restaurant was still a bit of a mess, and they were still a long way from being able open. The restlessness was starting to get to Bob; he couldn't handle not working. Just last night, he'd gone down into the restaurant kitchen, and mimed cooking a burger, that was how badly he needed to work; it was his life. Well, and his family, too, of course, but cooking burgers took him to a happy, almost peaceful place._

“ _It's good to be back,” smiled Linda one evening, as they curled up to watch a movie, bar Louise, who was staying in her room._

“ _It really is.” They only had basic furniture for the living-room; just a sofa, a TV and a TV stand. But charity shops existed for a reason, and Linda knew she would find some good bargains there. A few licks of paint, some pictures, maybe a plant or two, and the place was going to look amazing._

“ _When will the restaurant be open again?” asked Gene._

“ _Two, three weeks,” said Bob._

“ _Will you make the burgers black, like they were in a fire?” asked the little boy._

“ _No, Gene, I won't. Why would I do that?”_

“ _Because you like to do that burger of the day thing; I think that would be a cool one.”_

“ _Speaking of fire, maybe we should keep Louise upstairs for a while?” suggested Linda. “The grill might.. scare her.” Louise and Gene were too young to do any actual work; they were free to sit and colour in the booths. Tina, on the other hand, was old enough to pour drinks, and bus tables. Bob was trying to get Gene to bus tables, but all he wanted to do was plunk away at his little keyboard._

“ _I miss Louise's little Cousin Itt,” Gene lamented. “I didn't even get a chance to put a tiny pair of sunglasses on it!”_

“ _Lin, I think the best thing to do is not make a big deal of it,” said Bob. “If we act like fire is something to be scared of, then she will be. Besides, we can't leave her up here by herself.”_

“ _But fire is scary,” said Tina._

“ _It can be, Tina, but we don't need to be afraid of it,” Bob assured her. “You know, when the restaurant is back open, we'll need to find a way to get some business. Does anyone have any ideas?”_

“ _We could make some flyers, hand them out,” said Linda. That was their go-to method; Bob was so lucky that Linda was creative and artistic._

“ _We could – uh – go door-to-door, and ask people to come and eat here,” Tina suggested, not looking at all sure about the idea._

“ _I could stand outside and sing, and play my keyboard,” said Gene._

“ _Gene that's.. not a bad idea, actually,” Bob straightened up. That was a sure-fire way to bring in customers. People liked music, and people liked little kids making music. It was a perfect plan._

“ _Great! I'm gonna start making songs!” Gene dashed off to get his keyboard._

* * *

“ _So, Louise, whenever you're ready, we can put another balloon in your head, and continue with the expanding,” said Dr. Quinn._

“ _Nope. Uh-uh,” Louise shook her head, and folded her arms. They were back at hospital, a few weeks after her last surgery, where he had just finished examining her scalp. The bald spot had been significantly reduced, and now it was the size of a fist, but still very noticeable. At that moment, Louise was wearing Bob's fedora, her head tilted back so that she could see._

“ _You know this won't happen again, right? We're almost done; it would be two injections at the most, and then it'll be over.”_

“ _I said no.”_

“ _Louise -” began Quinn, but Bob spoke up._

“ _If she doesn't want it, then she's not going to have it. We're not going to force her.” He'd seen first-hand what this had done to her, and he really didn't want to put her through it again. What if the same thing happened again? Then they were just putting her through unnecessary pain for nothing. It killed him to see his baby like this._

“ _All right, then,” Quinn nodded. “Well, Louise, if you ever change your mind, just let us know.”_

“ _I won't.”_

“ _It doesn't matter how old you get,” he continued, “if you decide that you want to continue with this, we can.”_

“ _I won't,” Louise repeated, and Quinn nodded._

“ _What are we gonna do about kindergarten?” asked Linda in the car on the way home. “Louise has missed too much already; she needs to go back.”_

“ _I'm not going back; I'm still bald,” Louise pointed out from the back seat. Bob wanted to tell her that she had the opportunity to fix that, but he held his tongue._

“ _Well, you can wear a hat, right? They've never had a problem with it before,” he said._

“ _I guess it wouldn't be too bad wearing a hat,” said Louise. “But I'm not taking it off!”_

“ _You don't have to,” Linda told her, “but you do have to go back to school. That'll be fun, right? See all your little friends again?”_

“ _I suppose,” was all she said._

_Once at home, Louise dug out her favourite pink beanie, jamming it on her head. It rubbed and irritated the bald spot, but it was better than the alternative. Looking at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath. She could do this. She tried to smile, but she couldn't seem to do it. It was like her mouth didn't want to._

“ _Welcome back, Louise!” beamed her teacher, Miss M. Her name was actually Miss Mulligan, but Louise called her Miss M, which sometimes sounded like 'Missum.' Right now, she was standing at the front of the class, feeling a bit like a show dog._

“ _Hi, Missum.”_

“ _Are you feeling all better now? We missed you,”_

“ _I'm all better,” she lied, looking around the group of distracted children, some of whom were already crawling to play with the various toys in the room._

“ _Great! Well, I'll let you get settled back in.” Missum smiled, and left to sort out Alfie, who had somehow glued his hands together._

_Louise ran over to the back corner, where Rosie was already playing with the model city._

“ _Louise!” she beamed up at her, and Louise dropped down beside her best friend._

“ _How far have we got?” she asked._

“ _Well, I finished building the skyscraper, and I knocked down the library, 'cause we don't need that,” said Rosie, and Louise nodded in approval._

“ _Let's make some more skyscrapers, and then, when it's all done, we can bring Godzilla in,” said Louise, and Rosie grinned widely, showing off her missing baby tooth. “Oh, you lost it,” said Louise, in surprise. “I haven't lost any yet. How much did the tooth fairy leave you?”_

“ _A whole dollar!” Rosie's eyes widened, as did Louise's. “But my mommy said that the tooth fairy only gives you a dollar for your first tooth, and – and then for the rest, she just gives you fifty cents.” They both pulled identical, disgusted faces. “I told Mommy that it wasn't fair, and the tooth fairy was being mean to do that.”_

“ _That is mean,” Louise agreed. “That's a – what do they call it? – a mutiny!” She wasn't sure if it was the right word, but it fit. The back of her head was really irritating her, and Louise couldn't help but reach under her hat, and gently scratch at the bald spot. She knew she wasn't supposed to; both Mom and Daddy told her not to, but what was she supposed to do? Just ignore it?_

“ _Yep, it's a munity!” Rosie nodded, and the two girls continued to build their city._

“ _Hey, Louise, how come you always wear a hat now?” Rosie asked, around a week later._

“ _I always wear hats,” Louise shrugged as they both lay on their stomachs, drawing._

“ _Nuh-uh, not all the time. You used to take it off; now you never do. Why?”_

“ _Just because,” Louise stuck her tongue out, focusing hard on her paper._

“ _Well, tell me.”_

“ _Don't wanna.”_

“ _Oh, come on!” Rosie sat up, and observed her friend. “I thought we told each other everything; we're best friends, 'member?”_

“ _Well, I don't wanna tell you this.”_

“ _Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, please?” Rosie begged, clasping her dimpled hands together. “I won't tell anyone else, I promise.”_

“ _Well -”_

“ _Is it why you stayed home for ages?”_

“ _Yeah,” Louise admitted. “I had a surgery on my head,” she said quietly._

“ _A sugary?”_

“ _No, a surgery, with doctors.”_

“ _Oh, wow. What does it look like? I wanna see.”_

“ _You do?” Louise blinked. “Why?”_

“ _I've never see a surgery before; I wanna see what it looks like.”_

“ _But -”_

“ _I promise I won't laugh or anything. I promise, promise, promise. Will you show me?”_

“ _... All right,” Louise stood, and indicated for Rosie to do the same. “Come with me.” Rosie followed Louise to the back corner, where they sat close together, facing one another. Louise took a deep breath, and slowly lifted her hat off, and she leaned forward._

 _A tell-tale sputtering caused Louise's cheeks to redden, and she whipped her head up to see Rosie covering her mouth, giggling quietly. She quickly yanked her hat back on. Her heart dropped; she felt so betrayed, she couldn't believe it. Rosie had promised not to laugh. But she lied._ _Her face grew even redder, as Rosie collapsed into helpless shrieking laughter._

“ _You're bald!” she screeched, falling onto her back, laughing wildly. “We can call you Baldemort!” Louise saw red, but, rather than slap, her hand curled into a fist, and she punched her best friend in the stomach. It stopped the laughing, but Rosie began to cry. Louise looked at her friend – her former friend – and realised that she didn't care that she hurt her._

“ _What's going on here?” Missum appeared, and knelt down next to Rosie, who was still crying, and red in the face._

“ _Louise punched me!” Rosie sobbed, her hair falling into her face, and Missum cast a disapproving glance at Louise._

“ _Did you punch Rosie, Louise?” she asked, and Louise nodded stoutly._

“ _Yes.”_

“ _But why?”_

“ _She.. said something mean.” Missum gave her another disapproving look._

“ _That's now how we solve problems, Louise; you know it isn't. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call your parents to come and get you.”_

“ _Good!” Louise folded her arms, glaring at Rosie._

“ _I'm just going to take poor Rosie down to the nurse's office.”_

“ _'Poor Rosie!'” Louise mocked after they had left the room. She remained in the corner, arms folded, completely ignoring all the other kids who tried to talk to her. She didn't even acknowledge the Pesto twins, who were – now – the least annoying kids in her class._

_Louise didn't move until Bob arrived, and he was already holding her backpack. She remained on the ground, until Missum dismissed her, and then she was out of the door like a shot._

“ _Louise?” Bob called, but she was quickly walking ahead of him to car, and he had to hurry to catch up with her. “Louise, tell me what happened?” he asked, but she only huffed. He'd only been told that she'd punched someone. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have believed it, but with the way she'd been acting lately, it seemed like something she would do. He was still shocked of course; Louise had been slapping people a lot lately; now, it had appeared she had upgraded to punches. “Louise, did you punch someone?” he asked calmly, as they got in the car, and she nodded. “Why did you do that? Who did you punch?”_

“ _Rosie,” she said simply, and Bob did an actual double-take._

“ _Rosie? But I thought you were friends.”_

“ _Yeah, we were; we're not now. I hate her.”_

“ _What happened?” But Louise didn't answer him, and pulled a face. “Tell me why you punched her?”_

“ _Because I did!”_

“ _But I don't understand why? She's your friend; you guys play together all the time.”_

“ _I'm never playing with her again,” Louise frowned._

“ _Louise, tell me what happened.” Bob glanced over at her, and saw she appeared to be on the verge of tears. “Louise?”_

“ _She laughed at me,” she said quietly, staring at the floor._

“ _What? Why would she laugh at you?”_

“ _She – she asked me to take my hat off, and I did, and she laughed at me!” Louise pulled her beanie over her eyes._

“ _Oh, my God.” Bob felt like crying himself, and he pulled over, turning to his daughter. “Look at me,” but she didn't move. “Louise, look at me, please.” She raised her head slightly, but she still didn't look at him. “Listen,” he began, “anyone who would laugh at you for this isn't your friend, okay? A real friend would never laugh at you. All right? You don't need her; you've got me, Mommy, and your brother and sister, and you know we'll never laugh at you.”_

“ _I'm never having friends again,” said Louise obstinately, hat still over her eyes._

“ _No, Louise, you'll make new friends, you'll -”_

“ _You said anyone who laughs at me isn't my friend; everyone will laugh at me, so no-one's my friend. I don't want any friends no more.”_

“ _Okay, then,” said Bob, not sure that she meant it._

* * *

“ _She punched her little friend?” Linda gasped. “I don't get it; they're so close.”_

“ _Not any more,” Bob glanced down the hallway, towards Louise's closed bedroom door. “I'm not saying I'm not mad at her, but Rosie got Louise to take her hat off, and then laughed at her.”_

“ _Oh; okay, I'm understanding now. I'm not happy about what she did, but...” Linda trailed off._

“ _I don't wanna punish her, either,” said Bob. “I know we should; she hurt someone, but, every time I see her, I just see her in hospital, all bandaged up. I mean, even when she slapped me, I couldn't tell her off.”_

“ _I know what you mean; I do, too. And I think the slapping thing's just a phase; she'll grow out of it.” They both looked at the bedroom of their youngest. “Gene asked me earlier when we could stop making allowances for Louise; she slapped him, as well, and I told him that it'd be when Louise.. gets over all this.” Linda paused. “She's just.. been through so much, and she's still just a baby; I feel like we should just give her a break.”_

“ _Yeah,” Bob wiped his face. “She knows she did something wrong, and the teacher said she can come back tomorrow. She said she'd keep Louise and Rosie apart.”_

“ _Do you think they'll make up?”_

“ _I really don't,” said Bob honestly._

“ _But they're only four.”_

“ _Yeah, and it really upset Louise. She said she doesn't want any more friends ever, but she might change her mind. But I don't think she'll go back to being friends with Rosie.”_

“ _That's a shame; they had so much fun together.”_

“ _Yeah. I hope it won't affect Louise too much; being made fun of.”_

“ _I don't think it will,” said Linda. “She's never really been one to dwell on things.”_

“ _You're right.”_

_By the time evening rolled around, Louise had calmed, and was back to her normal self. Well, her new normal; sarcastic responses and general moodiness were now to be expected._

“ _Louise, I want you to apologise to Rosie tomorrow,” Said Linda at the dinner table that night._

“ _Why?” Louise asked grumpily, peering up over her plate._

“ _Because you hurt her.”_

“ _So? I don't care?”_

“ _Wait, what happened with Rosie?” asked Tina._

“ _We're not friends any more,” Louise informed her, using the moment to steal a potato from Gene's plate._

“ _But why?”_

“ _Because she's a butt, and I don't like her!”_

“ _Louise,” Linda butted in, “I know you had an argument, but you still need to say you're sorry for punching her.”_

“ _No, I don't.”_

“ _Yes, you do,” Bob chimed in. “It's not nice to punch people.”_

“ _It's not nice to laugh at me, either,” Louise mumbled to herself._

“ _Louise, you're a big girl now, remember? And big girls apologise,” said Linda._

“ _No,” Louise reached up under her beanie, and scratched at her bald spot._

“ _I'm mad at Rosie, just like you,” Linda said, and Louise finally looked up at her. “But you need to say you're sorry; that's part of being a big girl. But when Mommy's mad at someone, she still says sorry, because it's the nice thing to do.”_

“ _I don't wanna be nice; she's not nice to me!”_

“ _Well, that's why you need to be a big girl and be nice anyway, and stop scratching,” she added, noticing that Louise's hand was still under her hat._

“ _It's itchy!” she complained, moodily removing her hand._

“ _Louise,” said Bob gently, “all you have to do is say sorry, and that's it. You don't have to be Rosie's friend; you don't even have to speak to her after that, but you need to say sorry. I know she was mean, but so were you. She's going to apologise tomorrow, and you're going to, as well.”_

“ _Maybe I will, maybe I won't,” Louise drew herself to her full barely three-feet height._

“ _All right,” Bob nodded, deciding to drop it. She'd agreed to give it some thought, and that was better than nothing._

“ _That's my girl,” Linda nodded approvingly._

* * *

“ _I'm sorry, Louise,” said Rosie, the following day. She and Louise were both standing by the door to their classroom, with Missum hovering nearby. “I didn't mean to make fun of you.”_

“ _Very nice, Rosie,” Missum praised, and Rosie beamed, clapping her hands. The teacher turned to her other charge. “Louise, is there something you want to say?”_

“ _Plenty,” said Louise, glowering at Rosie, whose smile soon faded. “But I'll say just one plenty. Sorry,” she said shortly, still glaring at her former friend, who looked quite upset._

“ _Thank you for apologising, Louise,” smiled Missum. “Now you can both go off, and play.” Louise instantly went over to her favourite corner, the sand and water section, and to her surprise and great annoyance, Rosie followed her._

“ _Hey, Louise, are we gonna finish the city?” she asked, hovering around the water tray._

“ _I don't wanna do anything with you; I hate you,” Louise did not look up from her wet sand sculpture._

“ _But I said sorry, and so did you.” Rosie looked confused._

“ _I didn't mean it. I don't like you no more.”_

“ _Why?” Now, Louise was looking at her._

“ _Because you laughed at me!” she hissed._

“ _I didn't mean to, but it was funny.” Louise scowled at her._

“ _If you_ ever _tell anyone, I will... I'll – I'll shave your head, and laugh about it!” she threatened, before walking away._

* * *

“ _She's.. changed, Lin,” Bob sank onto the sofa a few weeks later, after the kids had gone to bed. “I think this is just who she is now.”_

“ _I'm sure she'll get better,” Linda sat down, as well. “She's just had a lot to deal with.”_

“ _I hope you're right. I spoke to her teacher when I picked her up from school today; she says that Louise and Rosie still aren't speaking.”_

“ _I didn't really expect them to,” said Linda, sipping on her evening wine._

“ _It's not just that, though,” Bob carried on, “she says that Louise is still so moody, and she doesn't play with anyone any more. Not even the Pesto twins. She says that Louise is withdrawn.”_

“ _I don't know what to do, Bobby,” Linda shook her head sadly. “She won't take her hat off, but it makes her itchy, she doesn't play with Gene and Tina any more; it's like she hates everyone!”_

“ _There's gotta be something we can do.”_

“ _I'll tell ya what I have to do; get her some more eczema cream, 'cause she's scratching like crazy. That hat's giving her a rash, but she still won't take it off.”_

“ _That's it!” Bob sat up, and Linda started._

“ _What's it?”_

“ _I'm gonna take her hat shopping, and get her a new hat; one that won't irritate her.”_

“ _Do you think that'll work?”_

“ _It's worth a try. A new hat might cheer her up.”_

“ _Anything to stop me from having to keep reading that Kuchi thingy book over and over again,” Linda chuckled, and Bob laughed as well._

“ _She loves it, doesn't she?”_

“ _Yeah.”_

“ _What's your secret?”_

“ _I don't know,” Linda shrugged, taking another sip of wine. “I mean, I do voices, but I do that with every book. It's just that book, though; she won't let me read anything else to her.”_

* * *

“ _Where are we going?” Louise asked the following day, as they drove past the restaurant after kindergarten had finished._

“ _I'm going to take you to get a new hat.”_

“ _Why?”_

“ _Well, that one makes you itchy, doesn't it? We can try and find one that isn't itchy.”_

“ _All right,” Louise only shrugged, not expecting to find this all-magical hat._

_They pulled up outside the OMG Mall, and they went inside, Louise pulling her hoodie tight over her head._

_The first shop they went into was a children's clothing shop, and they made their way over to the hat rack. “You stand there,” Louise ordered, pointing with her tiny hand, and Bob obliged. With him shielding her, Louise tried on every single hat, discarding them almost instantly. “They all make me itch!” she complained._

“ _Never mind; we'll just go into a different store,” Bob took her hand, and led her out of the shop. He would go into every single shop in New Jersey to find her what she needed._

_They went into shop after shop with no luck at all, until Bob decided to try an adult clothing store. Maybe a bigger sized hat would help?_

“ _None of them work!” Louise threw down a purple baseball cap in frustration._

“ _What was wrong with that one?”_

“ _The strap hurts.”_

“ _Okay, don't worry; we'll find a hat for you.”_

_Louise tried on beanies, she tried on fedoras, cowboy hats, berets, you name it. She tried on flat caps, bucket hats, top hats. She found a ushanka that she liked, because it also covered her ears, but the lining was woollen and it irritated her._

“ _We're never gonna find one!” she whined, throwing yet another hat back onto the shelf._

“ _We will,” Bob assured her. “Look, we've been through every store here; let's get back in the car, and we'll drive, and every time we see somewhere that looks like it sells hats, we'll go inside.”_

“ _Okay,” said Louise, rubbing her eye tiredly; they'd been out for a few hours now._

_They drove around Seymour's Bay, going into several shops, but they still had no luck._

“ _See anything?” he asked, driving down Hillcrest, feeling dispirited._

“ _Wait, stop!” she cried. “Stop, Daddy!” Bob stopped the car, and turned to see what she was staring at._

“ _That's a toy store,” he said, after observing the name, 'About a Toy'._

“ _I wanna go in.” Before Bob could stop her, she had unstrapped herself from her booster seat, and was running inside._

“ _Louise!” Bob fumbled with his own seat belt before taking off after her, panting. He thought that that booster seat was supposed to be child-proof; that was why he'd bought it. Next time, he reminded himself to get a Louise-proof seat._

_He found her just inside the door, staring in amazement. Dozens of toys, games, curios, snow globes, filled every available inch of this tiny shop._

“ _Wow,” Louise moved forward, eyes wide. Then, a look of wonder spread over her face. “Daddy, they have Kuchi Kopi here!” she pointed up to a shelf which displayed several Kuchi Kopi items, including a night light, a china figurine, a keyring, a mug, a music box, amongst others._

“ _I thought we were going to get you a hat?” Bob smiled down at her in amusement._

“ _But it's Kuchi Kopi!” She was practically hanging off his hand, her eyes bright, before her jaw dropped. “Maybe they have a Kuchi Kopi hat! I want one!” She let go of his hand, and ran through the store, causing Bob to laugh. This was the happiest he'd seen her in weeks. Since the fire, actually. If a Kuchi Kopi hat made her happy, then a Kuchi Kopi hat was what she would get._

_He slowly walked through the little shop, scanning for any kind of hat. He saw several kinds, but he waited for Louise to pick one out._

_As if out of nowhere, Louise ran up to him, and grabbed his hand, and started pulling him._

“ _Did you find a Kuchi Kopi hat?” he asked, allowing himself to be led to a small nook at the back of the shop._

“ _Better!” she cried, still dragging him. In the nook appeared to be a small selection of items on sale. None of them seemed to be part of any collection, like everything else. Rather, they appeared to be one-offs, or at least, the last of the batch. Louise was pointing frantically at something on the top shelf, which she couldn't reach, and Bob looked up. He saw only one hat; pink, with tassels, and large bunny ears. He blinked; he never would have imagined that Louise would pick that._

“ _That one?” he pointed as well. “The pink bunny one?”_

“ _Yeah,” she nodded, as Bob reached up, and pulled it down. The ears had some kind of wire in them, and the lining was made of pink satin._

_As usual, he blocked her from the cashier while she tried it on, not looking at her, just as he had been told to do. “Daddy, look!” Bob turned around – and almost cried. Louise was standing there, beaming up him. She hadn't smiled since the fire. The hat was a little too big, and rested a little above her eyes, and the tassels fell to below her shoulders. But she looked so happy._

“ _Is this the one you want?” he choked back tears, and Louise nodded, still grinning widely._

“ _Yes; I want it, I want it!”_

“ _It doesn't hurt you?”_

“ _No, it feels soft, and not itchy.”_

“ _All right, then,” Bob made to walk to the cash register, but Louise grabbed his arm again. “What?”_

“ _Can I have that?” She pointed up at the Kuchi Kopi night light. Bob was about to say no, when he paused. Louise was still afraid of the dark, and her moon night light had seen better days. And she had had a bad week; what harm could giving her a little treat do?_

“ _Okay,” he relented, handing the box to Louise, who clutched it to her like it was the Holy Grail._

_Louise refused to take her new hat off, even to let Bob pay for it, and so eventually, he had to hold her up so the clerk could scan the tag._

“ _I look like the General!” Louise cried, skipping back to the car, and, seeing her like that, Bob knew he had made the right choice. “I have bunny ears, so now I can hear everything! Now I have four ears!”_

“ _I'm glad you like them,” Bob chuckled, buckling her into the supposedly child-proof seat._

“ _I really do. I'm gonna wear this forever and ever and ever. I'm never gonna take 'em off,” Louise insisted. She felt.. right, like she was herself. For the first time in her life she felt.. whole. Like nothing could stop her. She felt big and strong and powerful and tall. Louise felt confident, like she wasn't afraid of anything, and could do anything. She felt like..._ Louise.

“ _I know these will help you,” said Bob. “So, listen, you wear these for as long as you need to. You don't need to take them off until you're ready, okay?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! I know it may seem a little dramatic in places, but there had to be a reason why Louise still had the bald spot, and why she didn't want to continue with the expanders.  
> I was always intrigued about how she never cared if she had friends or not, and I thought there might be a reason why, and so I made up my own theory.  
> Hopefully, you enjoyed reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone. Here is the final chapter. I hope you enjoy reading.

The Origin of the Ears

Chapter 5

That had been five years ago, and Louise had not taken her ears off willingly since that day. She knew that everyone thought it was a passing fancy, that she would wear the ears for a week or two, and then forget. But not Louise. She would wear them until the end of time.

It was Sunday evening, and Linda was waiting for the call from Principal Spoors, letting her know whether or not Louise could return to school. If he said no.. well, she didn't actually have a plan. She'd been so sure that he would say yes, but now, as the day went on, she became more and more unsure.

The restaurant was closed for the night, and she was relaxing on the sofa, while the kids' sat in front of the television. Bob was in their room, trying to find some of the boxes in which she kept her children's childhood keepsakes. Gene had been begging to see his old baby clothes and toys.

“Is this the one?” Bob staggered out from the bedroom with yet another box, and Linda rose. Walking over to him, she sorted through it.

“No. Sorry, Bobby.”

“You know, I could use some help,” Bob directed this question at his kids, who didn't look away from the TV.

“Well, I'm waiting for a phone call,” said Linda.

“I know, Lin; I was talking to the kids.”

“Captain Phillips needs our help more than you do,” said Louise, her gaze fixed on the screen.

“Exactly how does eating popcorn and drinking soda help a movie character?”

“If you have to ask, then you'll never know,” she shrugged, taking a long sip of her Coke.

“Hurry up, Dad; my childhood won't reminisce itself!” called Gene, lying on his stomach, watching the TV fervently.

“You know, Gene, if you want to see it, then you should help look,” said Bob, and Gene shook his head.

“I'm unwinding! If I get up, that means I'll be too full of beans to get to sleep!”

“We didn't have beans tonight,” said Tina, looking slightly confused.

“Never mind,” Bob groaned, “your mother and I will find it.”

“What? Bobby, I told you I'm waiting for a phone call.”

“Well, won't they call your cell?” he asked, and Linda straightened.

“You know, I didn't think about that. They probably would.”

“Okay, good, you can help me, but I really can't find the boxes.”

“Are you sure?”

“I've looked through every single box; there aren't any left,” he said, and Linda deflated, before brightening.

“Oh! They're probably up in the attic!”

“Oh, my God. Lin, it's late; don't make me go up there.”

“You don't to, Bobby; I'll go get the ladder.” Linda put her drink down, and went to the cupboard in the hallway, where the ladder was kept. Bob followed her, and took the ladder out of her hands.

“I'll do it, Lin. I'll hand you the boxes.” Bob climbed the ladder, and opened the trapdoor. There he grabbed the boxes that were marked with things like “Photos” “Baby stuff,” and the like, and passed them down to Linda.

“Oh, Gene, come look at this!” Linda called, causing all three kids to run into the hall. “It's your baby shoes! And the hat the hospital gave you when you were born! Awww!”

“Nostalgia Critic, get a load of this!” Gene sank to the floor, examining the contents of his boxes. “My posters of Britney Spears, and Liza Minelli!” he cried, holding them aloft. “Well, these are going back on the wall.”

“Oh, that's my phone,” Linda stood, and stepped over the jumble of boxes, heading to the living-room to take the call.

“Oh, hey, my stuffed Peggy-sis doll,” said Tina, having gotten her own boxes. As the eldest, Linda and Bob had kept practically everything from the moment she was born up until she was five or six. Tina sifted through what felt like every single sleep suit she had ever worn, along with every pair of shoes, every hair ribbon, and every single toy she'd ever owned. “I've missed her.” She cradled the toy. “You belong in my room,” she said, before holding it away, and wrinkling her face. “Musty,” she coughed.

“Hey, it's the General!” Louise grinned as she pulled her favourite childhood toy, General Woundwort, out of her box. The floppy rabbit was in desperate need of a wash, as it was almost black, compared to its usual brown. Like most toddlers, Louise had never allowed the General to be washed, as she couldn't spend the night without it. It, too, smelt terrible, but it was good to see him again. Maybe once he was all clean, he could help her and Kuchi continue their plans for world domination.

“ _Louise!”_ Linda sang, coming into the hallway. “That was the school!”

“They're not backing down, and I can't never, ever go back?” she asked optimistically, her face full of hope.

“No. They're letting you come back, and you can wear your ears! All right!” Linda cheered, but Louise didn't look too pleased.

“Oh, that's great, Mom, real great(!)”

“Yeah, it really is!” cried Linda. “Finally, it took them long enough; I thought they were never gonna decide.”

“Yeah, that would be a _shame_ ,” Louise frowned. “Well, I'll be in my room, being mad. Goodnight, family!” She picked up her box, and stomped down the hallway.

Once she was alone, she sat on the floor, the General beside her, and continued sorting through her childhood memories. She found her toy vets' surgery, with the miniature puppies and kittens, and she found her toy cash register, more than likely a hand-me-down from Gene, who got it from Tina. She still believed the toy was her Dad's way of brainwashing them into becoming slaves for the restaurant, which, of course, had totally backfired.

Louise found little clay ornaments that she had painted, mainly of rabbits; she found some clay ornaments she had made. What they were was anyone's guess, the misshapen lumps were of no discernible shape. Still, they had (probably) been made with love.

She found a children's book with almost every page torn out. Her book on sharks which she got when she was six, was intact, however. But that was because sharks were cooler than fairies; sharks ate people. Reaching further into the box, Louise pulled out something pink and woolly, and she saw that it was the beanie hat she used to wear constantly. She remembered, clear as day, ditching it when she had gotten her bunny ears.

The rule she'd made back then had followed her through life; she kept everyone at arm's length, knowing that they would laugh at her sooner or later. She'd had her ears for so long, that she couldn't imagine them not being on her head. She wouldn't feel like herself. With her ears, she was unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

The following Monday, Louise marched proudly into school, her ears standing high on her head, with Gene and Tina trailing behind her. She fought to keep her face neutral as students and teachers alike, all of them woefully bareheaded, turned to stare at her. Though she managed to keep her face straight, she couldn't stop her eyes from gleaming; she had won. Louise could almost hear awesome, bad-ass music playing as she walked through those halls like she owned them. She really needed to hire someone to walk in front of her playing the music, as she walked in slow motion; now that would be cool. Maybe some dark sunglasses, too.

“Ah, there you are, Louise.” The youngest Belcher's happy mood was instantly ruined by the appearance of Mr. Frond.

“Ugh, what do you want?” she did not attempt to hide her disgust.

“Principal Spoors wants to see you, and so do I.”

“What?! I've been back less than sixty seconds! You can't pin anything on me!”

“He just wants to have a chat, same as me. So, come on.”

“Why?”

“I don't know,” said Frond, “but he just wants to speak to you.”

“Ugh, fine!” Louise stamped down the hall to Spoors' office, with Frond, Gene and Tina following, and they waited while she went inside.

“So, welcome back, Louise,” said Spoors, as Louise stood in front of his desk, declining to sit down.

“It's _great_ to be here,” she said sarcastically. Spoors frowned, and steepled his fingers together.

“As you know, we decided to let you return, due to your doctor's note,” he said, in a tone that suggested he still didn't believe it.

“Mm-hm,” she nodded.

“We're making an allowance for you, but I want you to know that this isn't permanent.”

“What?”

“I made a rule saying that no students were allowed to wear hats, and I stand by that. I'm making an exception for you, but it's only temporary.”

“It can't be,” Louise barely refrained from smirking. “I have a real, official doctor's note, and you can't go against that.”

“Regardless, you need to find some other way of dealing with your head problem that doesn't involve any kind of hat. Now, if you so insisted, we can let you wear a different hat with no rabbit ears.” Louise almost choked on her own saliva.

“Yeah, that's not gonna happen,” she said casually. “And you can't do anything about it.”

“Do you want to be suspended again?” his tone was suddenly sharp.

“Please, I'd love it.” Spoors leaned back and sighed.

“Louise, just think about it. There's nothing another hat can't give you that this one isn't already. We're willing to allow you a small hat that covers your head, but with no ears.”

“Why? The only person it's bothering is you.”

“I already explained why to your parents.”

“And they explained to you why I have to wear my ears.”

“Another hat will do for the moment, Louise. It's time you ditched the ears.”

“That's never gonna happen. Can I go now? I wouldn't want to be late for my first day back at school. Gosh, I've missed so much; I can't afford to miss any more,” she smirked.

“All right, fine, you're excused.”

“See ya!” Louise cried and ran out of the room, only to bump into Frond. “Oh, right,” she remembered, her happy mood deflating once again. She followed Frond into his office, looking annoyed beyond belief.

“Welcome back,” he smiled, and Louise rolled her eyes.

“Are you gonna give me the same spiel Spoors gave me?” She folded her arms and tapped her foot.

“No. I know what he said to you, and I know about the doctor's note.”

“So?”

“So, I was also there when your parents came here, and they explained why you need your ears.”

“They told you why I wear them?!” Louise's eyes widened.

“No, no,” Frond assured her, “they just said it was a legitimate medical reason for it. I just want you to know that Spoors doesn't have the power to suspend you again if the doctor's note is real.”

“It's real,” said Louise quickly. “So, he can't do anything about it, huh? Good to know.” A grin spread across her face. She really was unstoppable. “That's _really_ good to know.”

“Please don't try anything,” he said. “Spoors can't suspend your for wearing your ears, but he _can_ suspend you for anything else. So, don't pull anything.”

“I'll make that decision,” Louise said. She gave him a knowing grin, before leaving the room.

Although it didn't feel great being back at school, it certainly felt great being the recipient of several jealous stares. This only furthered her belief that the rules truly didn't apply to her; she could do anything she wanted!

“Louise, you're back!” cried Andy in home room.

“And you're wearing your ears!” said Ollie.

“How come?”

“Because Spoors knows better than to mess with me,” said Louise. “I said I wasn't coming back unless I could wear them, and he caved. So, I win.”

“How come you wear them, anyway?” Though well-meaning, the twins were not at all bright, and appeared to have forgotten the golden rule; do not ask Louise Belcher why she wears her bunny ears.

“Because,” she widened her eyes, and leaned in, gesturing for the twins to do the same, which they did. _“Because it's not any of your business, that's why!”_ she screamed, causing Andy and Ollie to jump, and accidentally bang their heads together. “You deserved that,” said Louise, “for asking.”

“We're sorry,” muttered the twins, rubbing their heads, and Louise only grinned.

“Hey, Louise,” smiled Regular sized Rudy, as he caught sight of her in between classes.

“Hey, Rudy,” she stopped at his locker, while he was getting his history book. “Betcha never thought you'd see me again, did you?”

“I knew you'd wear 'em down sooner or later,” Rudy turned to face her, grinning.

“I knew he'd crack,” she said confidently. “It was only a matter of time, and best of all; he can't suspend me again! I can't get in trouble!”

“Whoa, really?”

“Yep,” Louise straightened up proudly, “about time that he recognised that I should be running this place.”

“Well, if it's anything like when you were principal for a day, the kids will love it,” Rudy nodded, as they walked down the hall, heading to their history class.

“Oh, you got that right, buddy. Maybe I'll let you be my secretary,” said Louise, as they passed the eighth-graders.

“Ugh, how come _Louise_ gets to wear that tacky hat, when no one else is allowed to wear any?” Louise and Rudy turned to face Tammy, who was leaning against a locker, oblivious to the person trying to access it.

“Excuse me?” Louise's tone was icy.

“You heard me,” Tammy glared at the younger girl. “It's not fair how you get to wear that gross, ratty thing, while _I'm_ not allowed to wear any of my hats. I have so many berets, and sun hats, and caps; and I can't wear them! They're all designer, top of the range! I was gonna wear a different hat every day; make it a thing,” she pouted. “How is it that _you_ get to wear a hat?”

“Sorry, Tam-Tam, I guess people just like me better,” Louise shrugged, grinning smugly.

“ _What?!”_ Tammy screeched.

“What can I say?”

“People do _not_ like you better than me!” Tammy growled, her face turning red. “I'm the most popular girl in school, _and_ I'm the hottest girl in my grade!”

“Yeah, okay, you keep telling yourself that. Your desperation is hilarious,” Louise smirked again, and continued down the hall, revelling in the sounds of Tammy's angry shrieks in the background.

* * *

  
All in all, it wasn't a bad first day back, and Louise still had a hint of smugness around her face when she and her siblings returned home.

“Welcome home, babies,” smiled Linda, when the kids walked into the empty restaurant that afternoon. “How was school? Did it feel good to go back?” she said to Louise.

“No way,” Louise swung her backpack onto the counter, and climbed up onto the stool. “It felt good to know that he's not gonna try anything stupid like that again, though.” Linda only nodded, as Gene and Tina joined their siblings.

“Dennis got detention today for tripping Brad,” said Gene. “Just stuck out his foot, and laughed.” He looked concerned.

“Oh, I hate bullies,” Linda twisted her apron violently. “Well, he better not touch my beautiful boy!”

“He won't, Mom.” Gene assured her, “he told Miss Jacobson he was just having a bad day, and that he won't do it again.” Linda pursed her lips, but did not press the matter. Whoever this Dennis was, she didn't believe him.

“And I found out that Lenny DeStefano is still texting Laura, although he's still dating Julie,” said Tina. “I don't think that wild horse'll ever be tamed.”

“Well, that Lenny needs to learn to commit to just one girl,” Linda said, knowing full well Tina would have as many boyfriends as she could, if she were allowed. But it was okay; Tina was still young, she was learning. And if her baby wanted to have two, or even three, boyfriends, who was to stop her? No one, that's who! At least Tina would be honest and upfront, unlike this wannabe player Lenny.

“Do you guys have any homework?” asked Bob that evening, after closing.

“Yes,” said Tina.

“Yeah,” Gene whined.

“Nope,” Louise lied.

“Okay, well, you better do it now before you go to bed,” Bob nodded, and his children, bar Louise, groaned, and trudged off to get their backpacks. “Louise?” he called, and she turned to face him. “I know you have homework; make sure you do it.”

“I don't have any! I've been back for one day!” she cried.

“I know you have it; if Tina and Gene have homework, then so do you. You don't wanna get in trouble on your first day back.”

“I won't get in trouble; they can't suspend me any more,” she grinned.

“Louise – wait, what?” This was the first time that Bob was hearing about this. “Really? Who told you that?”

“Mr. Frond. He said that because I have a real doctor's note, the principal can't suspend me for wearing my ears.”

“Well, that's just for your ears; you can still get in trouble for other stuff.”

“No I can't.”

“I think you can,” he told her. “Now, go do your homework, please.”

“You've changed, Dad,” she said. “Making me go back to school has turned you into a monster!”

“All right, come on, Louise, go and get your backpack,” Linda stepped in, and gave her daughter a little nudge. Louise only threw her hands in the air, and stomped away.

Later that night, when the kids were in bed, Bob and Linda collapsed onto the sofa.

“Who knew having kids would be so tiring?” Bob moaned, rubbing his eyes.

“I know. At least they're asleep now,” Linda picked up a glass of her TV watching wine, taking a grateful sip. “Thank God for wine,” she chuckled. “Where would we be without it?”

“I don't even wanna think. To be fair, they aren't that bad; I mean, they could be Tammy, or Jimmy Jr. Or the Pesto twins. Or any of those crazy girls from that Thundergirls troop.”

“There's nothing wrong with the Pesto kids,” said Linda firmly. “You just don't like them because you hate Jimmy Pesto.”

“Lin, I don't – yeah, I do hate him; I really do,” Bob confessed. “Stupid Jimmy Pesto,” he growled.

“All right, enough, Bob. I agree with you, though; our kids are great.”

“Yeah; we're lucky to have kids that actually like each other, and us.”

“I mean, look at Tina; she's the most confident teenager I know; she's not afraid to be herself.” Linda beamed with pride. “That's rare these days, you know.”

“And Gene,” said Bob, “I don't think I've ever seen a happier kid; he's got great puns.”

“And I've never seen someone his age write the kind of music he does,” continued Linda, and Bob nodded.

“I mean, even our craziest kid is great. I know Louise has her moments, but she's a good kid.”

“Yeah,” Linda agreed, and they both sat in silence for a while. “Hey,” she began, sitting up slightly, “I wonder what it would be like if, you know.. she'd carried on with the expanding stuff?” Bob sat up straighter, as well.

“Wow, can you imagine how different our lives might be?” he wondered.

“Who knows? I wish it didn't affect her the way it does,” Linda said sadly. “But I know that as long as she has her ears, she'll be okay.”

“You know, Mr. Fischoeder once asked me when we were going to start 'weaning' her off them,” Bob revealed, a slight look of disgust on his face.

“Ah, what does he know?” Linda looked equally annoyed. “Maybe one day in the future, she'll change her mind, and decide to go back to the surgery.”

“I always hope she will,” Bob admitted. “But then, she's still self-conscious about the scars on her ears, so unless she had those fixed, as well, I don't think anything would change.”

“You're probably right. But, can you just imagine, if she had all her hair back, what might be different?” Both she and Bob lapsed into thought; there were so many scenarios to consider. Would Louise be a completely different person, or would she be the same? Or perhaps even a little different? It was crazy to think about.

“I'm glad we didn't force her, though,” he admitted. “She would have had hair, but she would have hated us.”

“That's true; maybe one day she'll understand, and give it another try. She's older now, and it would be easier for her.”

“Perhaps in a year or two, she'll be ready to listen,” Bob nodded. “But, Lin, I don't think she'll ever give her ears up; she's too attached to them.”

“I remember when you got them for her,” Linda began to sniffle. “She was _happy;_ she couldn't stop smiling. The first time she smiled since the fire.”

“If they make her happy, then she can wear them for the rest of her life,” said Bob, and Linda nodded. “I just hope she understands that it was an accident; I don't blame her for anything. I've told her that it wasn't her fault.” Linda nodded again, and leaned into him, with Bob curling his arm around her. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep.

* * *

Louise, unbeknown to her parents, was still awake, and she climbed out bed, being sure to be quiet. She padded over to her dresser, and opened the top drawer, pulling out her little hand mirror, along with Tina's hand mirror. It was okay; Tina would never notice it was missing, and if she did? Well, if Louise wanted to use it, then she could; it's not like it was against the law.

For the first time since since she was four (barring two incidents), Louise removed her ears. She'd had a weird, strange urge to do this all day, and Louise just knew that once she got it out of her system, she could resume living her life.

Again, using two mirrors, she inspected the back of her head. Her heart was racing, and she cringed in disgust as she laid eyes on the bald spot. It had to happen to her, didn't it? She couldn't have been the hero she was trying to be, and had to be an idiot and get burned. If she had just managed to find her way to the stupid kitchen, she could have gotten some water, and put the fire out, like she'd wanted to. But the moment she'd seen that stupid fire, it was like she had frozen. It was the biggest fire she had ever seen, and she'd been half terrified, half mesmerised by it. It was beautiful, yet deadly; she liked its warmth, but hated the way it made her cough and her eyes water. Even now, fire was something to be admired; something so dangerous and potentially out of control, yet could be contained, with a little work.

Louise had never revealed to her family why she wasn't in her bed when the fire began spreading, and, to her relief, they had never asked. It wasn't something that needed to be public knowledge.

Growling frustratedly, Louise pulled her hat back on, sighing in relief. When she had her ears on, she felt – not safe and secure, ew – but she felt like nothing could hurt her. It sometimes felt like her ears had some kind of power that helped her feel brave and confident. Not that she needed her ears to feel – oh, who was she kidding? She definitely needed her ears to function, but Louise strongly felt that it wasn't the big deal most people made it out to be.

Louise had overheard her parents talking about more surgery. What was wrong with them, and her operation-happy doctor? Why were they so intent on cutting her head open? Louise couldn't honestly see an upside to going through that surgery again. Except six weeks off school, but she knew the pain wasn't worth it, and the needles.. She shuddered subconsciously. Needles were not meant to go in skin!

Louise refused to go through all that again. It didn't work the first time, so why should it work this time? Her dad had said it was the only way that her hair would grow back, and it hadn't worked, so what was the point of trying? Besides, she was going through life just fine, thanks to her bunny ears. They made her Louise Belcher.

No one, apart from her family (and Teddy, and now the teachers), knew what was under her hat. They would never say anything, unless Louise gave her permission, which of course, would never happen. Her friends had learnt to stop asking a long time ago. Regular sized Rudy had never even questioned it. Louise smiled slightly as she stretched; she knew there was a reason that she'd kept him around. She knew he would never ask to see her head; why couldn't everyone be like that? It would save her from having to deal with a lot of stupid people. There was nothing wrong with a little girl wearing a hat with bunny ears. Or even, a grown woman, as she would be one day, many many years into the future.

Louise believed that she would be wearing her ears even when she was really old, like thirty, because they would still fit. If people didn't accept her with her ears on, well, they could just go take a long walk off a short cliff. She didn't need people like that in her life.

Louise remembered how, five years ago, her dad had leaned close to her, and he had said that she could wear her ears for as long as she needed to.

Maybe one day, she wouldn't need them, but for now, she did, and that was okay.

The following morning, she awoke, still feeling rather smug. Today was gonna be a great day, she knew it, as she got to flaunt her special treatment, and wear her ears.

Louise decided it was time to put her theory to the test; she needed to pull off a prank; something big, but not too big (she didn't want to use up all her good ones), to prove that she was above the law. But what prank? Dead fish behind the radiator? Laxatives in the water coolers? Hire someone to dress as the Grim Reaper and follow Mr. Frond around? All very good; maybe she could do all three? Talk about a memorable day.

Or maybe something harmless, but unforgettable? Like letting a bunch of chickens loose, or glitter filled helium balloons? Her smile grew wider; it was almost impossible to choose! But whichever she picked, it would have executed in the next couple of days; why wait, when she could do them right away? Just another little way of testing how invincible she was. She'd pull this prank off, and she couldn't get in trouble; she had a note, a real doctor's note.

Louise Belcher, future ruler of the world, current ruler of Wagstaff.

Yep, she thought, as she headed into school, mentally planning out her amazing prank. Life was good, all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are done! Thank you to everyone who commented, bookmarked, and left kudos, and also to those who just read it.
> 
> Regarding my other stories, the alternate version of A Cry in the Park, may be a few months before I start posting. I'm more than halfway done, but it's difficult to write, you know?  
> My other story will probably be up before that, but again, I'm not 100% just when yet.

**Author's Note:**

> I think this must be my shortest chapter ever! It's freaking me out.


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